Why Was Vinesh Phogat Disqualified from Paris Olympics 2024 Women's 50 Kg Wrestling Final? What Do Rules Say?

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 due to being overweight. Phogat qualified for the final of the women's 50 Kg freestyle wrestling after defeating her Cuban opponent Yusneylys Guzmán in the semi-final of the major sporting tournament. Phogat was merely over 100 grams than her proposed weight of 50 Kg which led to her disqualification. The Indian wrestler is now not even eligible for a silver medal and the gold medal will be given to her American opponent Sarah Hildebrandt without any competition. The silver medal position at the podium will remain vacant and only the gold and the bronze medals will be presented to the winners. ‘Vinesh, You Are a Champion Among Champions’ PM Modi Tweets for Vinesh Phogat After Indian Wrestler Gets Disqualified From Paris Olympics 2024 Ahead of Her Gold Medal Match.

Why Was Vinesh Phogat Disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024?

As per the United World Wrestling rules,  "If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh in, he/she will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last without rank.” The rule says, that if the athlete is unable to meet the weight required to compete in the category, he/she will be eliminated from the whole tournament and will be ranked at the last without any ranking. Vinesh Phogat failed to meet the 50 Kg weight mark which became the major reason why she was disqualified ahead of the final. Paris Olympics 2024: Rishabh Pant Joins ‘If Neeraj Chopra Wins’ Trend Ahead of Men’s Javelin Throw Final.

The Indian Olympic Association released a statement regarding the matter which read, "It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand."

Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian female wrestler to make a place in the final of wrestling at the Olympics. Phogat failed to win a medal in her previous two appearances at the Olympics and had the best chance in 2024 to end the drought.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2024 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).