Due to being overweight by 100 grams, the hopes of 140 crore Indians of winning gold medal have been dashed. Vinesh Phogat was disqualified just hours before playing the final of 50 kg women’s wrestling. But not only the whole country but now even the big players of the world are calling Vinesh Phogat the golden girl. Because Vinesh Phogat defeated the world number one player on Tuesday. Won three matches consecutively. Vinesh did not adopt any such path, where the medal would have been saved but the morality would not have been there. That means Vinesh Phogat was the golden girl not only on the wrestling mat but also on the moral mat.
After this, people across the country were waiting and believing that Vinesh Phogat, who had reached the final of women’s wrestling for the first time in the Olympics on the night of 7th August, would now create history. Will win gold medal. Will hoist the tricolor. But everything stopped. Stopped. And due to being 100 grams overweight, he was disqualified and the country missed out on the medal. However, Vinesh has challenged her disqualification in the sports court CAS.
Actually, on Tuesday Vinesh Phogat defeated the Japanese wrestler in the pre-quarterfinals. Again defeated Ukrainian wrestler in the quarter finals. Defeated the Cuban wrestler in the semi-finals. But in the final match to be held on Wednesday night, when for the first time the world was watching India create history in the Olympic women’s wrestling final, Vinesh, playing in the 50 kg category, was disqualified due to her weight being 100 grams more.
Also read: Vinesh’s silver hopes still alive, will she get a medal or not? Decision will be taken today
Here, the news of Vinesh being disqualified due to being 100 grams overweight shocked India. Everyone wondered how could this happen to our champion daughter. By then news came that Vinesh had been admitted to the hospital. From India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately spoke to IOA i.e. Indian Olympic Association chief PT Usha. Talking to PT Usha, the Prime Minister wrote – Vinesh has been described as a champion among champions. The Prime Minister has said that Vinesh should come back strong. Even President Draupadi Murmu, Home Minister Amit Shah, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and all the Chief Ministers of the country called Vinesh the real gold winner.
Support is also coming from Bollywood
Bollywood started pouring out its heart for Vinesh. Started telling that the legend is the real Vinesh. All this because Vinesh defeated the world number one wrestler before reaching the finals. But Vinesh did not get disqualified from fighting for gold just because she gained 100 grams of weight. She was also deprived of the silver medal. Forget the medal, there was a claim that according to the rules, he was placed at the last position. Then the question arose that how did it happen that Vinesh stayed away from creating history by just 100 grams? Allegations began to be made of conspiracy and negligence.
Vinesh disqualified for weighing as much as a banana
In such a situation, the question arises whether there has really been negligence which has ruined India’s medal hopes and Vinesh Phogat’s hard work due to her being overweight by 100 grams? Ever since this news came in the morning. Everyone is shocked that how can anyone stay away from that dream just by being 100 grams overweight. After all, how much is 100 grams? If we look at it, one bar of soap weighs 100 grams. The weight of T-shirt is 100 to 130 grams. You must have seen 100 to 150 gram tubes of toothpaste. A 300 ml glass of water weighs only about 100 grams. Uno cards, one banana, two eggs, one packet of biscuits, one stick of butter are equal to 100 grams. Just imagine, due to just this weight, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified before the Olympic final match. After which there was no way left for a medal.
Also read: Vinesh Phogat’s loss is a ‘technical’ issue, it should not be politicized: Athletics Federation of India
This is the rule of UWW
The head of UWW i.e. United World Wrestling says that nothing can happen now. The question is that how did the excess weight remain at 100 grams and there is no possibility of anything happening further? According to the rules of United World Wrestling, the matches in each weight category last for two days. That is why players’ weight is measured every two days. When the competition starts on the first day, 30 minutes are given to measure the weight. On the first day, players get a chance to measure their weight as many times as they want in 30 minutes. On the second day i.e. Wednesday, players are given 15 minutes to measure their weight. Similarly, Vinesh Phogat also got the opportunity on both the days. Where before the match on the morning of 6th August, Vinesh Phogat’s weight was 49.9 kg. That is, according to the 50 kg category in which Vinesh plays, it is absolutely fine. But it is claimed that after three matches on August 6, Vinesh’s weight increased to 52.7 kg.
Vinesh had put all her strength into losing weight.
It was claimed that during this period, Vinesh tried her best to lose weight i.e. to reach the 50 kg category as per the rules, she did skipping, jogging and cycling. But on June 7, i.e. the morning of the final match, when we got 15 minutes to weigh ourselves, despite all our efforts our weight was 50 kg 100 grams. That means 100 grams more. And this 100 grams defeated all expectations before the match. So who is responsible for this hundred grams? In this, no one has even an iota of doubt that Vinesh cannot be responsible, who was trying her best to win medals for the country. Then who is responsible now? Many allegations started being made in politics regarding Vinesh’s weight. Doubts started being raised.
When the opposition surrounded him, the Sports Minister replied
The opposition is doing politics of allegations on this basis because Vinesh Phogat was accused against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was the head of the Indian Wrestling Association. She mainly fought for justice in the movement that started after the allegations of sexual exploitation. But the truth is also that Vinesh’s hard work was not ignored. And the Sports Ministry claims that every requirement of Vinesh was fulfilled so that she can bring a medal for the country. Whom you see being happy after Vinesh won the semi-finals on Tuesday. From the coach to the support staff, Vinesh was given whatever she wanted. In which Voler Akos of Hungary is Vinesh’s coach. Every responsibility right from training is of the coach.
Also read: ‘God takes away even after serving’, Babita Phogat gets emotional on sister Vinesh’s defeat
What mistake did the staff make?
So the question is whether it was the coach or the staff who made the mistake? Who couldn’t stop Vinesh from reaching 52 kg 700 grams before the match? Who, despite being a professional, could not understand before such a big match how to lose more than two and a half kilos of weight in a few hours? Have the mistakes of the coach and staff ruined India’s hopes? Has the mistake of the coach and staff taken away the medal of the country’s daughter? After being disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 final, the President of Wrestling Federation of India has made a big announcement saying that Vinesh Phogat’s support staff will be investigated. It will be found out why the support staff failed to properly monitor Vinesh’s weight. Now it will be investigated.
How did Vinesh’s weight increase?
The knocking question is whether there is a need to change the rules now. Because the player who won all his three matches the day before, was not allowed to compete the next day just because his weight had increased by 100 grams, it is not that even that 100 grams had increased in some wrong way. That is why the call to get justice for a player has started rising in the world. Six-time world champion and London Olympics gold medalist wrestler Jordan Burroughs of America has demanded to change the rules after seeing the case of Vinesh Phogat. Jordan Burroughs has demanded that the wrestler should be given a weight relaxation of one kilo after a day. Weighing time should be increased from 8.30 to 10.30 in the morning. – After winning the semi-finals, both the finalists are safe with their medals, even if they miss the weight cut on the second day. Gold medal can be given only to that wrestler who has kept the weight under control even on the second day. On this basis, six-time world champion Jordan Burroughs also demands that Vinesh Phogat be given a silver medal. Many people are making the same demand in our country also.
(AajTak Bureau)