The Indian wrestling world woke up to disappointing news. The final match for the women’s 50kg gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, August 7 will not feature Vinesh Phogat. As a result of getting disqualified for getting overweight in the weight check, Phogat will lose her medal hopes, and USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt will now face Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán in the gold medal match.

It was a frustrating day for the Indian wrestler who had previously defeated top seed Yui Susaki in the Round of 16. She was disqualified after weighing in just over 100 grams above the limit. According to the rules, the opponent she defeated in the semifinals was allowed to step in. Let’s explore the rules and regulations that led to Phogat’s disqualification at the Paris Olympics.

The rules and regulations that led to Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification at the Paris Olympics

Wrestlers are weighed on match days and must meet the weight requirements for their category according to the rules set by United World Wrestling (UWW). If any changes are made to the final entries, the team leader must submit the updated entry list to the organizers. This submission must be made by 12:00 PM the day before the weigh-in and the competition for the relevant weight category.

Notably, the organizers will not accept any changes after the given deadline. They conduct the weigh-ins each morning for the relevant weight category, which lasts for 30 minutes to avoid confusion. After the initial weigh-in, only the wrestlers competing in the repechages and finals are required to attend a second morning weigh-in, which lasts 15 minutes, compared to the 30 minutes allotted for the first weigh-in.

Do strict compliance rules impact wrestler’s performance?

In addition, the wrestler must undergo a medical examination early in the morning; failure to do so will result in disqualification from the next day’s event. As with other sports, wrestlers must carry their license and accreditation to provide proper documentation. One of the most important rules is the singlet, which is the only uniform allowed for weigh-ins. Officials will not authorize weigh-ins if wrestlers are not in the proper attire at the Paris Olympics.

Contestants should keep their fingernails very short and are allowed to weigh in multiple times within the allotted period. If a wrestler does not attend the weigh-in, they will be excluded from the competition and will not receive any medals. Additionally, they will be ranked last. However, if an athlete is injured after the weigh-in, they will retain their results and will not be required to attend the weigh-in.

All in all, it turned out to be disappointing for Vinesh Phogat who looked to claim her first gold medal for her country at the Paris Olympics. The wrestler’s camp has issued no official statement.