India has protested against Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification at Paris Olympics: Sports minister

The Indian Olympic Association has lodged a strong protest with wrestling’s global governing body against the disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday.

The Indian Olympic Association manages the country’s athlete contingent at the Olympic Games.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to PT Usha, the chief of the Indian Olympic Association, and asked her to take necessary action in the matter, the minister told Parliament on Wednesday. “The government provided every facility to her [Phogat], including personal staff,” Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha.

Mandaviya’s remarks came after Phogat, who was competing in the women’s 50-kg category in the wrestling event in Paris, was judged to have been overweight by 100 grams and was subsequently disqualified ahead of the final later on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Phogat became the first Indian woman to reach the final of a wrestling event at the Olympics. She also knocked out Japan’s Yui Susaki, who is the defending Olympic champion, earlier in the day.

She had made the weight when her campaign began. However, according to the rules, wrestlers have to maintain that weight over the course of the two competition days.

The Indian Olympic Association confirmed on Wednesday that Phogat had been disqualified.

Also read: Explained: Why Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from Olympics wrestling gold medal match

Earlier on Wednesday, Modi said that the country was rooting for Phogat despite the setback.

“Vinesh, you are a champion among champions!” Modi said on social media, soon after she was disqualified. “You are India’s pride and an inspiration for each and every Indian. Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing.”

The prime minister added: “At the same time, I know that you epitomise resilience. It has always been your nature to take challenges head on. Come back stronger! We are all rooting for you.”

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said that Phogat’s disqualification on technical grounds was unfortunate.

“We have full hope that the Indian Olympic Association will strongly challenge this decision and provide justice to the daughter of the country,” Gandhi said on social media. “Vinesh is not one to give up, we are confident that she will come back stronger in the arena.”

Gandhi said that Phogat had made India proud and that the country “stands with you as your strength”.

Also read: Vinesh Phogat deserved a medal but her greatness is not validated by it

‘Huge conspiracy against India’

Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi alleged that there was a conspiracy to disqualify Phogat.

“She is a very intelligent athlete,” Tyagi told IANS. “The way her weight was shown to disqualify her from the competition is part of a larger conspiracy. I demand that the Indian government intervene in this matter.”

Professional boxer and politician Vijender Singh also alleged that Phogat’s disqualification was a “huge conspiracy” against India and Indian wrestlers.

“The way she has performed is worth appreciating,” Singh told India Today. “Maybe some people couldn’t digest the happiness. We can reduce five to six kgs in one night, so what’s the problem with 100 grams. I feel that someone had some problems and so the step to disqualify was taken. She should have got a chance to reduce the 100 grams.”

Singh added: “Having participated in the Olympics, I have never seen anything like this.”

Hema Malini, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura and an actor, said that Phogat’s disqualification was “very surprising”.

“…it feels strange that she was disqualified for being 100 gm overweight,” Malini told PTI. “It is important to keep the weight in check. It is a lesson for all of us. I wish she should lose that 100 gm quickly but she would not get an opportunity.”

Balwant Wankhede, the Congress MP from Maharashtra’s Amravati, linked Phogat’s disqualification to the wrestlers’ protest she participated in.

“There is some conspiracy behind this,” Wankhede told PTI. “The entire country knows she was protesting at Jantar Mantar... she did not get justice and now if she wins, they would have had to honour her which some people might not have liked.”

Phogat, along with other wrestlers including Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, were at the forefront of the protests against former Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after he was accused of sexually abusing athletes.

In May, when the wrestlers, who had been protesting since January 2023, attempted to march to the new Parliament building as it was being inaugurated, the Delhi Police manhandled them and detained them. The police also cleared the protest site. Images of the police hauling away the wrestlers had drawn condemnation.

The Delhi Police had registered a first information report against Brij Bhushan, the MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj at the time, in April 2023 only after the intervention of the Supreme Court.

He has been charged for sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of women under the Indian Penal Code. During a court hearing on May 21, Brij Bhushan pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Supriya Sule, a Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader, called for an inquiry of the nutritionist, doctors, physiotherapist and the support team selected by the Indian Olympic Association to accompany Phogat.

“It’s the team’s job to ensure her fitness, diet and regimen during the Olympics to ensure her success,” Sule said on social media. “Her job was to go and win and bring glory to India, as a proud daughter of India. The support team was approved by the government and IOA and has to be held accountable.”

Sule also said that Mandavia “justifying and defending” the team was “absurd and disgusting, indirectly blaming Vinesh to be overweight”.

Follow the latest updates from the Paris Olympics here.