PT Usha, the IOA president, said athletes must manage their weight. This follows criticism of Vinesh Phogat’s weigh-in. She condemned the backlash against the IOA medical team, especially CMO Dr. Pardiwala. She called it “unacceptable and worthy of condemnation.”
Vinesh, 29, felt devastated. Officials disqualified her from the gold-medal match in the 50kg freestyle. She was 100 grams overweight in the morning weigh-in. The incident crushed her Olympic dreams and led to her announcing her retirement.
The disqualification sparked a blame game and an uproar in Parliament. Critics blamed Dr. Pardiwala and his team for negligence. Former IOA chief Narendra Batra suggested Vinesh’s diet might have caused the disqualification.
PT Usha Defends IOA Medical Team, Emphasizes Athlete Responsibility in Vinesh Phogat’s Weight Disqualification
Yet, PT Usha stressed that, in sports like wrestling, weight management is the job of the athlete and coach, not the IOA’s CMO. “Weight management is the job of the athlete and coach, not Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team,” Usha said. She asked those who criticized the IOA medical staff to think before judging.
Vinesh made history as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in her category. But, her weight was found to have increased after the event. Despite desperate measures, including cutting her hair, she was still 100 grams over the limit at the morning weigh-in.
Usha added that each Indian athlete at the Paris 2024 Olympics had a support team. It had been working with them for years. The IOA’s medical team, appointed a few months ago, was to help with recovery and injury management during and after the competition. This team was to support athletes without their own nutritionists and physiotherapists.
After the disqualification, Vinesh appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). She wants a joint silver medal with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez. Guzman lost to Vinesh but was later promoted to the final after Vinesh’s disqualification.
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