Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat had to be out of the Paris Olympics due to being just 100 grams overweight in the prescribed category. Everyone is shocked by this. The Sports Minister has given a statement in this matter in Parliament. He said that the Indian Olympic Association has filed a complaint. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha.
Meanwhile, PT Usha said that Vinesh’s disqualification is very shocking, I had met Vinesh at the Olympic Village Polyclinic some time ago and assured her of full support from the IOA and the entire country. He said that we are providing all kinds of medical help and emotional support to Vinesh. Indian Wrestling Federation has contacted United World Wrestling (UWW), it is taking as strict action as possible on this. I am aware of the tireless efforts made by Vinesh’s medical team throughout the night.
‘Vinesh tried drastic methods to lose weight’
Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, India’s Chief Medical Officer at the Paris Olympics, said that Vinesh Phogat’s weight had increased by 2 kg before the final match at the Paris Olympics, after which ‘drastic steps’ were taken to reduce her weight. Dinshaw Pardiwala said that during weighing, Vinesh could not lose 100 grams of extra weight. He said that Vinesh tried drastic methods to lose weight overnight, including cutting her hair and shortening her clothes.
He said that wrestlers usually compete in a weight category lower than their weight, this gives them an advantage, because in such a situation they are fighting against less strong opponents. He said that to lose weight an athlete has to sweat a lot. For this, there has to be a lot of control over eating and drinking water.
‘Vinesh’s weight increased more than normal’
Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala said that Vinesh Phogat’s nutrition expert had hoped to lose the extra weight through normal procedure, but it did not work after 3 tough matches on Tuesday. He said that Vinesh had three matches on Tuesday. Therefore, some amount of water had to be given to prevent dehydration, we found that after the competition his weight had increased more than normal. The coach started the usual weight loss process that he always followed with Vinesh. He was confident that this would help him lose weight.
What did the Chief Medical Officer say about diet?
Dr. Dinshaw said that the benefit of weight loss is that players come into lighter weight category, but it also causes weakness and lack of energy. That’s why most wrestlers consume limited amounts of water and high-energy foods after their matches. This diet is usually taken after consulting a nutritionist. Vinesh’s nutritionist expert felt that the normal amount of diet she was taking was around 1.5 kg a day, which was enough to have enough energy for the upcoming matches. Sometimes this is also a reason for weight gain after a competition.