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          Wrestlers detained: Neeraj, Chhetri among sportspersons to support Vinesh, Bajrang and co.

          Sakshi Malik detained by the Delhi Police during the Indian wrestlers' protest march against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. ARUN THAKUR/AFP via Getty Images
          • ESPN staffMay 28, 2023, 06:10 PM

          Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion in the javelin throw and India's record international goalscorer Sunil Chhetri led the way condemning the heavy-handed treatment of the protesting wrestlers today and called for a speedy and peaceful resolution to the issue.

          Others who tweeted during the day, after news of the police action in Delhi, were former cricketers Irfan Pathan and Manoj Tiwary, as well as Olympic medallist in boxing, Vijender Singh.

          Neeraj quote-tweeted a video of fellow Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, and wrote "I'm very pained upon seeing these visuals. There has to be a better way to deal with this."

          Sunil Chhetri, meanwhile made his feelings on the matter quite clear, asking for the whole situation to be "assessed the way it should be."

          Irfan Pathan was among the few cricketers to weigh in on the matter, saying "I'm so sad to see the visuals of our athletes. Please solve this ASAP"

          Manoj Tiwary, former cricketer and currently an MLA with the All India Trinamool Congress, tweeted visuals of Vinesh being detained, while expressing his support of the wrestlers.

          Also tweeting were Winter Olympian and member of IOA Athletes Commission Shiva Keshavan, and India women's football team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan:

          Vijender Singh, bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was fairly vocal about the treatment handed out to the wrestlers, saying "On one hand the new Parliament is being inaugurated and on the other Olympic medallist wrestlers are being detained. Wow Democracy." He also posted a picture of Sakshi Malik being detained while saying "Today is my turn, tomorrow yours... everyone's number will come up."

          Earlier, reigning Olympic wrestling champion, Risako Kawai of Japan, tweeted her support of the wrestlers' protest. "I hope it will be an environment where Indian athletes can practice with peace of mind," Kawai wrote retweeting a BBC News video.

          The wrestler's protest had also garnered support from the likes of Nikhat Zareen, Abhinav Bhindra and Shiva Keshvan earlier.