Being overweight on the day of the gold medal match has disqualified Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the 50kg freestyle wrestling final. In addition to not receiving a medal, she will be ranked last and removed from the competition in accordance with official wrestling rules. There will now be only one gold medal awarded in this category, to American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt.
Mahavir Phogat, Vinesh’s uncle, has also confirmed the news, saying that Vinesh was only 100 grams overweight and that she would now not be competing for a medal in the Olympics in Paris. “Vinesh will not get any medal now. She weighed 100 grams overweight on the day of the final and hence, was disqualified,” Mahavir said.
What are the UWW rules?
According to United World Wrestling (UWW) rules, wrestlers are weighed on match day and are only allowed to compete if they are weighed appropriately for their category. Even minor weight gain is not considered, and the contender is disqualified.
Vinesh was permitted to compete because, on Tuesday, August 6, she weighed exactly 50 kg in the category in which she was competing. But as she got to the final, everything changed drastically. Vinesh tried multiple times to lose weight, but she was unable to do so and ended up weighing 100 grams more than the required amount in her category, excluding her from the competition.
Here are the rules:
The weigh-in for the relevant weight category is held every morning for all competitions. 30The weigh-in and medical control last 30 minutes. Only the wrestlers competing in the repechages and finals are required to show up for the weigh-in on the second morning of the relevant weight division. There will be a 15-minute weigh-in.
If a wrestler has not had a medical examination the first morning, he cannot be admitted to the weigh-in. Wrestlers are required to present their license and accreditation at the weigh-in and medical examination.
At the weigh-in, just the singlet is permitted as a uniform. The wrestler may be weighed in after being examined by qualified physicians who are required to remove any wrestler who poses a risk of communicable disease. There will be no weight tolerance on the singlet.
Contestants must be in perfect physical condition, with their fingernails cut very short
Wrestlers are allowed to step on the scale as many times as they’d like during the whole weigh-in period. The referees in charge of the weigh-in must verify that each wrestler weighs the appropriate amount for the category in which they are competing, that they fulfil all Article 5 requirements, and that they are aware of the risks involved in dressing inappropriately for the mat. If a wrestler is not dressed appropriately, referees will not allow them to weigh them.
The draw results will be given to the referees in charge of the weigh-in, and they will only be able to manage the athletes on this list. An athlete will be dismissed from the tournament and rated last, without rank, if they fail the first or second weigh-in or do not show up. If an athlete is injured on the first day, he is not required to attend the second weigh-in and will keep his results.
