From bitter fights to dope shame, Indian Olympic team's tryst with controversies
Olympics. The duo had only two things in common — they were wrestlers and were willing to fight it out on and off the mat to represent India in 48kg category. Almost 28 years later, few in the wrestling circles would have forgotten that eventful day when the two fought tooth and nail at the IG Stadium for a place in the Indian team. Yadav won the controversial trial bout but was not allowed to participate at the Games after failing to clear the weigh-in at Atlanta.
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Indian sports in general and wrestling in particular didn't seem to learn from the unappetizing past as contingents bound for the quadrennial showpiece invariably end up carrying the extra burden of controversies.
As six Indian grapplers aim to build on the legacy of past heroes like Sushil Kumar, Yogesh Dutt and Sakshi Malik among others, they know they have had to cross several hurdles to make it to the Paris-bound squad, including enduring a year-long protest that left their preparations in disarray.
Both Pawar and Yadav, now in their 50s, were probably victims of the same setup that exists even today, which led to one of the most bitter slugfests ever witnessed in sports in the country.
While state lobbies worked in the background, Pawar and Pappu battled for a wildcard spot given by the international wrestling body in the 48kg category.
With political bigwigs throwing their weight
