‘Dumb wrestler’ honored with ‘Arjun Award’ and ‘Padma Shri’ again raised his voice for the highest sports honor
Virender Singh, popularly known as ‘dumb wrestler’, has once again staked his claim on the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, India’s highest sporting honour. He expressed shock that the speech and hearing impaired players have not yet been considered worthy of the award despite winning various prestigious events including five medals for the country in the Olympic Games i.e. Deaflympics. “I have won five medals for India in the Deaflympics over the years, including three gold medals,” Singh said in a gesture during an interview with PTI. I have won three medals including a gold medal in the World Championship of Deaf Wrestlers. But I do not understand why I have not been given the Khel Ratna award till now?
The 36-year-old wrestler, who learned wrestling from his boyhood in the Akhara “Bal Vyayamshala” established during the year 1886 in Delhi, said that his journey in this sport has not been easy at all and he has made his place by leaving behind all social discrimination. has made. Singh told that he started his career in wrestling with normal ie speech and hearing players, but once he could not hear the sound of whistling, he was dropped from the selection trial and since then he has been mute- Started wrestling with deaf wrestlers. Singh has been honored with “Arjuna Award” and “Padma Shri” by the government over the years for his remarkable contribution to wrestling and is now eyeing the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. His colleague Rambir Singh told that the demand for giving Khel Ratna award to a dumb wrestler is being made since the year 2017 and for this he has also started a campaign on social media.
Rambir Singh said, “If Virender Singh is given the Khel Ratna award, not only will he be encouraged, but a positive message will also be sent to thousands of deaf and dumb players like him.” It is given for outstanding and extremely outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years.
