In a heartbreaking moment for India, wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Wednesday was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 hours ahead of her gold medal bout against the USA's wrestler. Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday became the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics final match. First Vinesh Phogat defeated Olympic gold-medallist and four-time World Champion Yui Susaki from Japan in her Paris Olympics Round of 16 clash on August 4. Thereafter, on the same day, Vinesh Phogat defeated Yusneylys Guzman by 5-0 in a one-sided semifinal and guaranteed India its fourth medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. As a result, she was supposed to fight for gold in the final. But, unfortunately, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified because she was overweight by 100gm.
Now, the question arises whether India can appeal against the weigh-in and whether Vinesh Phogat can be allowed to play her gold medal match or not. The answer is no. As per reports, neither Vinesh Phogat nor the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have the authority to challenge the disqualification. Though the margin was small, the rules do not allow for an exception to be made.
However, reports suggest that PM Narendra Modi spoke to IOA President PT Usha and sought first-hand information from her on the issue and the options India has in the wake of Vinesh's setback. He asked PT Usha to explore the full range of options to help Vinesh’s case. He also urged PT Usha to file a strong protest regarding her disqualification if that helps Vinesh.
Since it is highly unlikely that Vinesh Phogat's disqualification to be revoked, PM Modi took to his X handle and lauded the wrestler for her commendable efforts at the Paris Olympics. PM Modi wrote, "Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India's pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today's setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing. At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you."
What are the rules?
Vinesh Phogat was roughly 100 grams over the permissible limits.. According to competition rules, Phogat will not be eligible even for a silver medal and the 50 kg will have just gold and bronze medal winners. Furthermore, Vinesh made the weight for Tuesday’s bouts but as per the rule, wrestlers have to stay within their weight category on both days of the competition.
The report further suggests that Vinesh Phogat who reached the final defying all odds, was approximately 2 kilos overweight on Tuesday night. She didn’t sleep the whole night and did everything in her capacity to meet the criteria – from jogging to skipping and cycling.