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Phogat was under 50kg limit when she beat Yui Susaki in the opening round but was 100g over the weight limit before gold-medal match
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has triggered a row after wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Olympic 50kg event for being a few grams over the limit.
Modi is reported to have contacted PT Usha, president of the Indian Olympic Association, and asked her to “explore the full range of options” in an attempt to salvage Phogat’s medal chances.
Usha subsequently issued a statement saying: “Vinesh’s disqualification is very shocking. I met her at the Olympic Village clinic and assured her of complete support from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the government of India and the whole country. We are providing Vinesh all medical and emotional support.”
The disqualification came on Wednesday morning as Phogat prepared for what would have been a gold-medal bout against the USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt later in the day.
It was a bitter blow, and an unexpected one after Phogat – a 29-year-old who is one of India’s more celebrated sporting celebrities – had ended the lengthy unbeaten run of Japan’s defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki in the opening round of the wrestling event.
Phogat had initially made the weight for the two-day competition but there was a catch: you have to be weighed on both days. The second test found her to exceed 50kg by two kilos.
According to The Indian Express, Phogat was around 2kg overweight as of Tuesday night, and despite intense weight-loss exercises including running, skipping and cycling through the night, she was still 100 grams over the limit at Wednesday morning’s weigh-in.
Phogat – a two-time bronze medallist at the world championships – is the latest member of her family to emerge as a successful wrestler.
Her cousins Geeta and Babita Phogat began the trend in 2010 when they took gold and silver respectively at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, undermining the preconception – which was then common across India – that wrestling was a man’s sport.
Last year, Vinesh led a protest against sexual harassment by the Wrestling Federation of India, saying that female wrestlers had been exploited by WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh over a period of several years.
She claimed that at least ten female wrestlers had told her that they had been abused by Brij Bhushan, who is also an influential member of Modi’s ruling BJP party. In May, the Delhi Police said they would undertake a large-scale investigation of the allegations.
Posting on the social network X on Wednesday morning, Modi tweeted: “Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India’s pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian.
“Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing.
“At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on.
“Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you.”
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