Paris Olympics 2024 | 'Cut her hair, clothes shortened': India’s chief medical officer reveals 'drastic' steps taken to cut Vinesh's weight

PT Usha, IOA President and Dr Dinshaw Paudiwala, Chief Medical Officer issue statement, Vinesh Phogat (Pic: ANI/WFI)

India was in a state of disbelief after Vinesh Phogat's shocking disqualification ahead of her 50kg wrestling final as people from all walks of life expressed their disappointment and frustration at the huge setback, calling it "cruel" and "biggest heartbreak" of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

Phogat was disqualified on Wednesday from the Olympics after being found overweight ahead of her women's 50kg final, leaving her medal-less within hours of coming close to an unparalleled gold.

Vinesh, on Tuesday, scripted history as the first Indian woman wrestler to advance to the gold medal match in her category. Previously guaranteed at least a silver medal, her disqualification now means she will return home without a medal.

Currently in Paris, PT Usha, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), expressed her astonishment at the disqualification and confirmed that the IOA has filed an appeal with United World Wrestling (UWW), the international governing body for wrestling.

Reacting to the disqualification, the former track and field star said: "Vinesh's disqualification is very shocking. I met Vinesh at the Olympic village polyclinic a short while ago and assured her complete support of the Indian Olympic Association, the Government of India and the whole country. We are providing Vinesh with all medical and emotional support. The Wrestling Federation Of India has filed an appeal to UWW to consider the decision to disqualify Vinesh and it is following this up in the strongest possible manner. I am aware of the relentless effort made by Vinesh's medical team throughout the night so that she could meet the competition requirements."

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Dr. Dinshaw Paudiwala, the Indian Olympic team's physician at the Paris Olympics 2024, also released a statement while seated next to Usha, disclosing that the team had to resort to the extreme measure of cutting Vinesh Phogat's hair on Tuesday night in a bid to reduce her weight.

"Vinesh's nutritionist said that the usual amount that she takes is 1.5 kg over the day, which gives her enough energy for the bouts. Sometimes, there's a factor of rebound weight gain following competition. Vinesh had three bouts, and hence, to prevent dehydration, some amount of water had to be given. We found that (her) post-participation weight was increased more than normal," Pardiwala said.

"The coach initiated the process of weight cut that he had always employed with Vinesh. This was something that has worked with her for a long time. He felt confident. We went ahead with the weight-cut procedure. However, in morning, we found despite all of our efforts, her weight was 100 grams over her 50kg weight category. And hence, she was disqualified. We had tried all possible drastic measures throughout the night, including cutting off her hair, shortening her clothes. Despite all of this, we couldn't make that 50kg weight category," he added.

Paudiwala further noted that, following the disqualification, Vinesh underwent a series of tests to ensure her vital signs remained stable.

"Following disqualification, as a precautionary measure, Vinesh was administered intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration. We ran some blood tests to ensure everything is normal. This process is going on a the Olympic hospital here. All of Vinesh's parameters during this weight cut were normal. Vinesh interacted with the IOA president PT Usha. She mentioned that although she's physically and mentally normal, she is disappointed that this is her third Olympics and she is disqualified."

(With inputs from SAI)