Facing criticism over Vinesh Phogat’s weigh-in controversy, Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha emphasized on Sunday that it is the athlete’s responsibility to manage their weight. She condemned the attacks on the medical team, particularly Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, calling them “unacceptable and worthy of condemnation.” The 29-year-old Vinesh was devastated after being disqualified from her gold-medal bout in the freestyle 50kg category for being 100gm overweight during the morning weigh-in, dashing her Olympic hopes and leading her to announce her retirement.
“The responsibility of weight management in sports like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and judo lies with each athlete and their coach, not with the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team,” Usha stated.
She also expressed hope that those quick to criticize the IOA medical team would “consider all the facts before drawing conclusions.”
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What Happened?
On Friday, August 9, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) held a three-hour hearing in Paris to review Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against her disqualification from the Olympics. Vinesh, who participated virtually, presented her case to the court in an effort to overturn the decision. The CAS, an independent body that resolves sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation, officially registered her appeal and scheduled the hearing for Friday evening.
Vinesh’s legal team argued that her disqualification was not due to any fraudulent actions but was the result of her being 100 grams over the weight limit during the weigh-in before her gold medal match in the women’s 50kg wrestling category on Wednesday, August 7.
Representing Vinesh were senior counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania, both experienced in advocating for athletes. The hearing was presided over by Dr. Annabelle Bennett from Australia, who served as the Sole Arbitrator.
In a statement on Friday, the IOA expressed hope for a positive resolution and thanked Senior Advocates Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania for representing Vinesh virtually.
