Vinesh Phogat would have to return from Paris Olympics empty handed© AFP
Vinesh Phogat's unexpected disqualification from the Paris Olympic Games sent shockwaves across the Indian sporting spectrum. The authority's decision triggered a plethora of questions among fans on social media, as everyone wondered why Vinesh couldn't lose the last 100 grams to fall under the 50kg mark, in order to compete in the gold medal match. Vinesh was competing in the 50kg freestyle wrestling event, as the 53kg category was blocked by fellow wrestler Antim Panghal. Vinesh, whose natural weight is around 56-57kg, found it tough to manage her weight, which eventually became the reason behind her exit from the Paris Games.
Myth-buster guide to Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the Paris Games:
Was Vinesh Overweight On Day 1 of her events too?
No, Vinesh wasn't overweight on the first day of events. She did the weigh-in before the bouts and had made the cut under the 50kg mark. That's why she was allowed to compete.
How did Vinesh gain weight ahead of the Day 2 of her events?
After her bouts, Vinesh had to drink water and eat basic food like fruits, vegetables, and some bread to replenish the lost energy. If anyone does that, the person can easily put on 2 kilos of weight, especially when your body is drained, which Vinesh's was as she was competing in a weight category that didn't come naturally to her.
Why couldn't Vinesh lose the desired weight?
After consuming some water and food, post her bouts on the first day, Vinesh had put on weight. She worked all night to meet the 50kg criteria. She did manage to reach the mark of 50kg and 100 grams but the last cut couldn't be made as she was incredibly deplted. She was so drained that sweat couldn't be induced and the weight reduction wasn't what she wanted.
Could Vinesh have been given an exception, since she was overweight by just 100gms?
No, the margin doesn't matter. It's a strict weight limit of 50.00 kilograms, even if she weighed 1 milligram more than that, she would've been disqualified.
Would Phogat have won a medal had she declared herself injured?
If Vinesh declared herself injured on the second day, then the UWW medical officer would have had to come in and check in on her. Even in this case, Vinesh would have had to give her weight, and if it exceeded, she would've been disqualified. Had Vinesh declared herself injured on the first day, when she had successfully completed the weigh-in, she would've won the silver medal.
Why Vinesh wasn't given a silver medal?
Disqualification means the wrestler would not get any medal, and all her results in the event would be nullified. Hence, no silver medal for Vinesh.
The rule says: "If an athlete does not attend or fails the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank. If an athlete is injured during the first day, he doesn't have to attend the second weigh-in and will keep his results."
Could Vinesh have been given extra time to reduce her weight?
It is a UWW rule that states that the weigh-in has to take place early in the morning. The intent is to give wrestlers enough time to replenish themselves before the bout and not go on the mat, depleted.
Is the 2-day weigh-in rule a new thing?
No. The rule was brought in 2017, when the UWW changed the format of Olympic wrestling from one day to two days. This decision was taken to help athletes, preventing them from losing a huge amount of weight in one day and compete.