Wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified on Wednesday morning after the official weigh-in, ahead of her anticipated gold medal match scheduled for the evening.
Although she passed the weigh-in on Tuesday, Vinesh was found to be “a few grams over 50 kg” during Wednesday morning’s weigh-in. According to The Indian Express, she was approximately 2 kilos overweight on Tuesday night and attempted to shed the excess weight overnight but was unsuccessful.
Vinesh’s unfortunate situation underscores a significant issue in combat sports: the practice of weight cutting.
In recent years, there have been calls to ban the drastic weight cutting and subsequent rapid weight gain that athletes undertake before their matches. Here’s why weight matters in wrestling and other combat sports.
Why does weight matter in wrestling?
Combat sports such as wrestling, boxing, judo, and mixed martial arts (MMA) are organized by weight classes to ensure fair and competitive matches. Fighters of similar weight are likely to have similar physical attributes, creating a level playing field. Without weight classes, larger athletes would naturally have an advantage over smaller ones, regardless of technical skill.
What happens the night before weigh-in?
The 24 hours leading up to the weigh-in is the most challenging period for any athlete. With limited time, they engage in extreme physical activities, including hours of cardio like jogging, skipping, and cycling while wearing sweat suits to lose weight quickly. The goal is to maximize sweating and expel as much fluid as possible from the body. Additionally, athletes significantly reduce their liquid intake.
In extreme cases, athletes may resort to drastic measures such as cutting their hair and even drawing blood, as Vinesh Phogat reportedly did.
What is weight cutting and why do combat athletes cut weight?
Weight cutting involves athletes drastically reducing their weight in a short period to meet the required weight limit for weigh-ins. Many combat sports athletes believe that cutting weight before a bout can provide an advantage by allowing them to quickly regain weight afterward, thus weighing more than the limit during the actual match. This is because weight cuts primarily involve losing water weight, which is the “easiest” weight to shed. Athletes abstain from drinking water, perform intense exercises, use saunas, and wear heavy clothing to sweat out the water weight. They also avoid eating before weigh-ins.
After the weigh-in, athletes rapidly regain weight by consuming fluids and carbohydrate-rich meals. This, they believe, gives them a weight advantage during the bout, which usually takes place hours or even a day later. However, the scientific evidence supporting this belief is inconclusive.
Is weight cutting harmful?
There are limits to how much weight can be safely cut within a certain period. At the highest levels of sport, where performance is tied to significant rewards, athletes may push the boundaries of safety, sometimes with dangerous, even deadly, consequences.
In 2018, UFC fighter Uriah Hall suffered a “mini-seizure” and a “slight heart attack” while cutting weight, according to an official UFC press release. In 2015, Chinese MMA fighter Yang Jian Bing, who competed in ONE Championship, died from dehydration during weight cutting.
In summary, weight cutting can be extremely risky. However, in the current state of combat sports, athletes feel compelled to do it to gain a competitive edge by rapidly gaining weight between the weigh-in and the actual match.
ALSO READ: Paris Olympics 2024: Could Vinesh Phogat Have Bagged Silver Medal If She Withdrew With An Injury?
