Will return prize money if players disrespected, says wrestler Bajrang Punia

Wrestler Bajrang Punia said that he will return the prize money if athletes continue to be disrespected by the state government of Haryana.

"I will return my prize money if the players did not get respect," Punia told reporters here.

"The government has cancelled the award ceremony and directly transferring the curtailed amount to athlete's account. I think the sports policy that this government has made is totally bad," he said.

The wrestler, who hails from Haryana, on Monday had tweeted against the sports policy of the state government for curtailing the winning amount of the sportsperson.

Facing criticism from the gold medalist, Haryana sports minister Anil Vij on Wednesday claimed that his government has always given the biggest prize money as compared to the other states.

"We have not insulted any sportsmen in the state. In fact, we give them the highest winning amount in India. We give them the best job opportunities," Vij told reporters.

However, Punia further slammed the government, saying that it did not fulfill the promise of giving jobs to players.

"I want to ask the Sports Minister of Haryana that whom's sports policy are you talking about. How many jobs have you offered to players?," Punia said.

The 25-year-old wrestler opined that the government should not announce the big prize money to athletes, who win medals for the country in the international gaming event.