In a shocking turn of events, wrester Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50 kg women's wrestling event at Paris Olympics on Wednesday. The reason for her disqualification? She was found overweight by 100 gm this morning. The tragic end to Vinesh's Olympic dream this year came just a day after she pulled off a stunning victory over Japan's Yui Susaki.
Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha said the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had filed an appeal to the cited World Wrestling (UWW) to reconsider the decision to disqualify Vinesh. Moreover, NDTV cited sources as saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed PT Usha to exhaust all options to support Phogat's case.
But can the decision to disqualify Vinesh Phogat be overturned?
UWW president Nenad Lalovic said, "Rules are rules." He cited the international wrestling rule which disqualifies any wrestler from the competition and said, “We have to respect the rules. The Rules are rules. I feel very sorry for her. She was overweight by a very small margin. the Weigh-in process is public, all the athletes are there. It's impossible to let someone who doesn't pass the weigh-in, participate.”
There were speculation whether Vinesh would get the silver medal as she had won all her bouts after passing the weigh-in on Tuesday to reach the finals. The wrestling body chief clarified that it was "impossible" as the rules do not allow that. He also quashed the possibility of a relaxation in Vinesh's case as the Indian was only 100gm overweight.
"I have nothing against that (India's appeal) but I know the outcome," he told Indian reporters in Paris. "I don't see anything that can be done. It is the competition's rules and I really don't think it is possible (to overturn the decision)," Lalovic said.
Vinesh's natural body weight is about 56-57kg and it takes massive effort for her to get down to 50kg. She had been competing in the 53kg category past several years but lost to Antim Panghal in the trials. While in invitational tournaments, UWW allows for a grace of upto 2kg, no such relaxation exists for showpieces like Olympics, the world championships and the Asian Championships.
(With inputs from agencies)
