 "Vinesh Phogat disqualified for being overweight by 100gms: How are athletes weighed at Olympics? What are the rules?")
In a cruel twist of fate, Vinesh Phogat was on Wednesday disqualified from the women's 50kg freestyle wrestling event at the Paris Olympics 2024 after being found overweight ahead of her final. This means Vinesh will leave Paris without a medal and not even a silver.
“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand,” the Indian Olympic Association said.
Phogat was reportedly 100 grams above the permissible 50kg weight limit, leading to her disqualification.
“She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified,” said an Indian coach to the news agency PTI.
As per reports, Phogat, her coach, and support staff made numerous efforts to help her cut down weight, including cutting the wrestler’s hair and trying to draw out blood, but nothing came to their rescue.
Phogat was scheduled to fight USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt for the gold medal.
Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified?
As per the UWW rules, the global body for wrestling, an athlete will be eliminated from the competition if he/she fails in the weigh-in, and “no more weight” will be tolerated at the weigh-in.
“The medical control and a first weigh-in will be held the morning of the concerned weight category. The qualified athletes for the finals and repechages will be weighed in again the second morning of the concerned weight category. No more weight tolerance will be allowed for the second weigh-in.” UWW rulebook says.
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More Shorts“If an athlete does not attend or fails the weigh-in, he or she will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last without a ranking.”
How weigh-in works for wrestling in the Olympics?
The weigh-in for wrestling events at the Olympics takes place on the morning of the competition for the participants. The wrestling competition for a weight category is taking place over two days which means a wrestler taking part on both days will have to attend the weigh-in on both days.
During the weight-in on the first day, wrestlers will have 30 minutes to make weight. They can get on the scale multiple times. They are weighed in their singlets.
On the second day of weigh-in, wrestlers will have 15 minutes to make weight.
“For all competitions, the weigh-in is organized each morning of the concerned weight-category. The weigh-in and the medical control lasts 30 minutes,” UWW’s rulebook says.
“The second morning of the concerned weight category only the wrestlers who participate in the repechages and finals have to come for the weigh-in. This weigh-in will last 15 minutes.”
“If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he will be eliminated of the competition and ranked last, without rank.”
What do athletes do to lose weight?
With weigh-ins being held on more than one day, athletes need to stay within limit but it’s very difficult to cut down weight quickly during events. From not eating food, and avoiding water intake to working out in gyms, athletes use various methods to cut down weight during wrestling events.
Some of the other methods included taking a sauna bath and cutting their hair short.
It’s to be noted that the 50kg category is not Vinesh’s regular class. She prefers to fight in the 53kg category but with Antim Panghal winning the quota in that event, Vinesh was forced to come down to the 50kg category. She has struggled to cut weight in the 50kg category in the past as well.
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