Vinesh Phogat's Weight-Cut Became Impossible Despite Shortening Her Hair, Reveals India's Chief Medical Officer Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala

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In an emotional revelation, India's Chief Medical Officer Dinshaw Pardiwala shared the extreme measures taken to help wrestler Vinesh Phogat meet the weight requirement for the Women's 50kg category at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Despite their exhaustive efforts, which included even shortening her hair, Phogat was disqualified for being 100 grams over the limit, leaving the wrestler and the entire nation in a state of shock ahead of her gold medal match tonight.

"Wrestlers usually participate in a weight category less than their natural rate. It gives them an advantage since they are fighting with less strong opponents. The process of weight cut prior to the weigh-in involves a calculated restriction of food and water, and besides this, the athlete needs to sweat, which is done with a sauna and exercise," Pardiwala explained in a statement released by the Sports Authority of India.

He further elaborated on the intricacies of the weight-cutting process, highlighting its benefits and drawbacks. "This weight cut has the benefit of putting you into a lighter weight category but does cause weakness and energy depletion, which is counterproductive to participation. Most wrestlers then go for some amount of energy restoration with limited water and high-energy foods after the weigh-in. The calculation from the nutritionists is athlete-specific. Vinesh's nutritional strength is about 1.5 kg over the day, which provides enough energy for the bones."

Pardiwala also pointed out the phenomenon of rebound weight gain. "Following the competition, Vinesh had three bouts and to prevent dehydration, some water had to be given. We found that our post-participation rate was increased more than normal, and the coach initiated the usual weight cut procedure he has always employed with Vinesh."

He recounted the night-long struggle to reduce Phogat's weight. "This process has worked for her for a long period of time. The coach felt confident it would be achieved, and over the night, we proceeded with the weight cut procedure. However, in the morning, despite all our efforts, her weight was 100 grams over the 50 kg category, and hence she was disqualified. We tried all possible drastic measures, including cutting off her hair and shortening her clothes."

Despite these efforts, Phogat could not meet the weight requirement. Following her disqualification, she was administered intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration and underwent precautionary blood tests to ensure everything was normal. "All of Vinesh's parameters during the weight cut were normal. She felt perfectly normal physically and medically," Pardiwala said.

The disqualification was a severe blow to Phogat, who had shown remarkable promise in her bouts leading up to the final. "She is disappointed that this is her third Olympics and she had to be disqualified," Pardiwala noted, underscoring the emotional and physical toll this ordeal has taken on the athlete.