New Delhi [India], August 7 (ANI): Following Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the women’s 50kg wrestling final at the Paris Olympics, Athletic Federation of India President, Adille Sumariwalla, said that no stone has been left unturned to provide support to the grappler, and it would be “wrong” to make a political issue out of the episode.
Vinesh was one win away from clinching India’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics and was set to face United States wrestler Sarah Ann Hildebrandt at the final on Wednesday night.
However, she had tipped the scales above the 50kg mark and was subsequently disqualified today.
In a video posted by the Sports Authority of India, Sumariwalla said, “The PM has intervened and said, please, consider all legal options to support Vinesh. So no stone has been left unturned to make sure we support her in every way. It’s wrong to make any kind of political issue out of this. For God’s sake, keep politics out of this. The Indian team management is doing whatever it has to do. The Wrestling Federation of India is doing whatever it has to do.”
Sumariwalla revealed that a lot of measures were taken to ensure that Vinesh could get past the weigh-in despite the lack of time.
“It is a very unfortunate incident. Yesterday, there was a weigh-in. She only made the cut of 50 in the weigh-in. The rule says that after the weigh-in, you can eat. So she had three strong bouts. She needed the energy. She had to fight. So in between, she would have eaten food and had water. At the end of the day, she was already overweight by a lot. So they went straight to the doctor, and the whole night, they worked as hard as they could to bring the body weight down,” the AFI President said.
“She was running. They even chopped off her hair to make it less. This morning, you only get a 15-minute gap, and in that gap, you have to make sure that you weigh in. She was found overweight. The Indian medical team worked overnight. They didn’t sleep all night. They were with her. And to a point, she got so dehydrated that this morning, she actually had to get treated. And she was getting treated at the polyclinic for dehydration. I am told she is fine now,” he added.
Following her disqualification, leaders across the political spectrum expressed their disappointment and expressed solidarity with Vinesh.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal said, “The PM says we have good international relations, then how did this happen with Vinesh?”
He also referred to the Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s comments about the government providing support to Vinesh in the Lok Sabha and said, “The Sports minister’s statement made in the House which mentioned how much money the govt has spent on the athletes, is an insult to the athletes.”
Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal believes that a “conspiracy” is involved in Vinesh’s disqualification and said, “How can it be possible that a player of her stature does not know the value of her weight.”
As per sources, the Prime Minister spoke to Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha and sought firsthand information from PT Usha on the issue and the options India has in the wake of Vinesh’s setback.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) PT Usha said she was shocked after hearing Vinesh’s disqualification and said, “After hearing the news that Vinesh Phogat is disqualified, I am shocked and disappointed. I had come here to meet Vinesh, she is physically and medically okay. Yes, mentally she is disappointed. Our support staff are all with her to reduce the weight, they are trying their best.” (ANI)
