This week, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, and Manisha Pande are joined by sports journalist and author Rudraneil Sengupta and senior Bangladeshi journalist, Farid Hossain.

On Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification ahead of the Olympic final, Rudraneil says the fiasco was due to a disorganised Indian contingent, without the national camp, head coach, or backing of the federation. “In India, we don’t have a proper system [of quotas and trials for Olympic selection] unlike in the US. It always happens according to the whims and fancies of the people running the show…Vinesh had initially asked for a trial against the quota winner of the 53 kg category. But as she had taken on against a powerful MP of the ruling party, she had no other option but to go for the 50 kg round.”

Raman delves into the improvements in India’s Olympic contingent over the years, while Abhinandan says there are ethical concerns over private players helming sports facilities.

Moving on to Bangladesh’ s political turmoil, where Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge of the interim government, Farid says, “Yunus was the demand of the students. They even suggested that there should be representation of the protesting students in the interim government.” 

Manisha pointed out that the sentiment in Bangladesh is largely anti-India right now because of India’s pro-Sheikh Hasina stance and perceived blind eye towards her alleged authoritarian tendencies.

This and more. Tune in!

Hafta letters: Vinesh, Paris Olympics, French politics