Vinesh Phogat's Brand Value Jumps Or Falls After Paris Olympics 2024? Find Here

When Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on August 7, 2024 from competing in women's 50 kg freestyle category just before her gold medal bout with US Sarah Hilderbrandt, a millions heart broke back home in India. The Indian wrestler was told that she weighed 100 grams above the permissible limit of UWW (United World Wrestling). Vinesh Phogat appealed against the verdict to CAS.
Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement on August 8 from wrestling after she was left heartbroken with her disqualification.

After several delays, CAS on August 14 declared its decision and dismissed Vinesh Phogat's plea saying that she would not be awarded any medal as per the rules. Phogat returned to her village Balali on August 17 to grand welcome amid continuous speculations if she would reverse her decision of retirement.

When asked if Vinesh would reconsider her retirement decision, she told PTI, "this incident is a deep wound, and it will take time to heal. However, the love I have received from my fellow countrymen and my village will help me heal. I will think about whether I want to continue wrestling, but for now, I cannot say what I will do. The courage I have received from people will guide me in the right direction."

Despite the outcome of Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh's demand as a brand ambassador surged significantly in the market. The wrestler's fee for an endorsement witnessed a steep jump after Paris Olympics 2024 as compared to the money she used to charge for advertisements before the just concluded Olympics as a result of her soaring brand value.

Before Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh reportedly charged approximately Rs 25 lakh for each endorsement deal but now the wrestler charges between the range of 75 lakh to 1 crore for a single brand, as per ET report.

Manu Bhaker, who was awarded 2 bronze medals in Paris Olympics 2024, also saw her brand value soaring as she fetched Rs 1.5 crore deal with ThumbsUp. Before the Olympics, Manu used to charge Rs 25 lakh per deal for a single endorsement. On the other hand, Neeraj Chopra, after the Paris show, saw his brand value rising by nearly 30-40%, jumping up to Rs 330 crore.

Neeraj was the only athlete to return home with a silver. Though Chopra failed to repeat his gold medal show in the Paris Games, his brand value has still soared by 30-40%, going up to USD 40 million or INR 330 crore. According to the Economic Times report, his brand value was approximately $29.6 million before Paris Olympics.