Facing criticism over the weigh-in controversy involving Vinesh Phogat, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha emphasized on Sunday that it is the athlete's responsibility to manage their own weight. She condemned the attacks on the IOA's medical team, particularly Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, calling them "unacceptable and worthy of condemnation." Vinesh, 29, was left devastated after being disqualified from her gold-medal match in the freestyle 50kg category due to being 100 grams overweight during the morning weigh-in, shattering her Olympic dreams and leading her to announce her retirement.
The incident sparked a blame game, even leading to debates in Parliament, with some parties criticizing Dr. Pardiwala and his team for alleged negligence. Former IOA chief Narendra Batra hinted that Vinesh’s diet could have played a role in her disqualification.
“…the responsibility of weight management of athletes in sport like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo is that of each athlete and his or her coach and NOT that of the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team,” Usha said in a statement.
She further added, “…the hate directed at the IOA medical team, especially Dr. Pardiwala, is unacceptable and worthy of condemnation.” She hoped that those rushing to judge the IOA medical team “would consider all facts before arriving at any conclusions”. Usha expressed hope that those quick to judge the IOA medical team would consider all the facts before drawing conclusions.
Vinesh had made history as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal match in her category earlier in the week. However, during the post-participation weigh-in, her weight was found to have increased. Despite all efforts, including cutting off Vinesh's hair, she remained 100 grams over the limit during the morning weigh-in.
"Every Indian athlete competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in such sports had their own support team, which had been working with them for many years," Usha explained.
“The IOA appointed a medical team a couple of months ago, primarily as a team that would assist in the recovery and injury management of athletes during and after their competition. This team was also designed to support athletes who did not have their own team of nutritionists and physiotherapists.” Vinesh has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), requesting that she be awarded a joint silver medal with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who had lost to Vinesh but was later promoted to the final following the Haryana wrestler's disqualification.
American Sarah Hildebrandt claimed the gold after defeating Lopez in the final match.
The decision on Vinesh's appeal is expected on August 13.
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