United World Wrestling (UWW) President Nenad Lalovic today ruled out any exception for wrestler Vinesh Phogat who was disqualified from the Paris Olympics just before her final match for being overweight by just 100 grams. He said that although the disappointment is understandable, the rules are rules and there is no scope for exception.
“We have to respect the rules. I’m so sad what happened to her. She was overweight, even though by a small margin but rules are rules. The weigh-in is public and all the athletes are there. It’s impossible to let someone to compete who doesn’t make the weight,” Lalovic said while talking to Sportstar.
On the question of whether Vinesh could be awarded the silver medal because she passed the weight test on the first day of the competition, the UWW chief replied in negative. He said, “It is impossible because the brackets are changing. Everything is changing. And anyway, the rules are rules. Everybody who goes to these competitions knows they have a second weigh-in the next day.”
When asked whether the 100 gram overweight could have been ignored as it is a very small margin, Lalovic said that they have to be strict regarding the rules. “We should be more strict on that because we have a problem that you are living in this moment,” he said, adding, “If you allow this 100 grams, then you would be allowed for 200 grams. There is no end.”
Notably, the UWW added that wrestlers should compete in their natural weight category, and not in lower weight categories by lowering their weights. He said that the wrestlers are losing too much weight due to this which is not good.
Rules are rules says Nenad Lalovic – the head of United World Wrestling whose rules govern #Wrestling
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) August 7, 2024
He rules out reviewing the rules after #Paris2024, if anything, he insists the rules will only be adhered to more strictly.
"We want athletes to compete in their natural… pic.twitter.com/nRe3EvFYfK
“We should be more strict on that because we have a problem that you are living in this moment. The wrestlers are losing too much weight and it’s not good for their health. Many have seen their interest at the moment but they don’t see what happens in 20-30 years. We want athletes to compete in their natural weight. That’s the idea. This is when they make the best performances. Unfortunately, it’s a second case here,” said Nenad Lalovic.
He also mentioned that an Italian wrestler was also disqualified for being overweight earlier during the ongoing Olympics. Weight of Emanuela Liuzzi was found to be above 50 kg before her debut match in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling category. Similarly, Algeria’s Messaoud Redouane was disqualified in Judo for being overweight.
It is notable that 50 kg is not the natural weight category of Vinesh Phogat, as she used to contest in the 53 kg category. But as she was out off the mat for more than one-and-a-half years due to injuries and the protests against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Antim Panghal secured an Olympic quota for India in the 53kg category.
She then decided to switch to the lighter weight – 50 kg category – to ensure her place in the Olympics. While it is not allowed, she demanded to compete in the both weight categories at the wrestling trials, and she was allowed. However, while she won -6 in the 50 kg weight category, she lost in the 53 kg category. Therefore, she participated in the Olympics in the 50 kg category, and was forced to maintain her weight below 50 kg, which was a challenge.
While she managed to achieve that weight goal ahead of her first match, she could not repeat that before the gold medal bout.
