After Olympic Disqualification, Vinesh Phogat Hospitalised Due To Dehydration

Paris Olympics 2024: India's star wrestler Vinesh Phogat was hospitalized in Paris due to dehydration. What had been a heartbreak for the Indian fans, the star wrestler was also disqualified from the ongoing mega-event as she was overweight just before the women's 50kg freestyle summit clash.

Vinesh created history as she became the first Indian women wrestler to have qualified for the gold medal bout on Tuesday.

As per various media reports, Vinesh fainted due to dehydration after she was disqualified from the women's 50 kg summit clash. She is undergoing treatment at the polyclinic of the Olympic Village and is now stable.

Also Read: Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 50kg category final?

Despite Vinesh and her coaching staff's best efforts, they couldn't achieve what they wanted. They also had to cut her hair and also draw out blood from her body.

The IOA confirmed her disqualification and released a statement that said, "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.”

PM Modi offers full support

At the same time, honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to encourage Vinesh.

“Vinesh, you are a champion among champions! You are India’s pride and an inspiration for every Indian. Today’s setback hurts. I wish words could express the sense of despair that I am experiencing,” he had written on his official X account.

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

As per ANI, PM Modi also had a word with IOA President PT Usha and asked for first-hand information and also asked as to what the country can do amidst such a heartbreak. He also asked her about the options which could work in Vinesh's favor. He also asked PT Usha to start a protest around her disqualification as that might help Phogat.

How do wrestlers cut weight before the big events?

A wrestler reducing his/her weight is quite a prevalent exercise for the Olympics and also in all those sports, which have weight categories. Ever wondered how it works? To fit into a lower weight category, athletes cut weight for about 10% of their body mass, for the next few weeks ahead of the tournament. The last 24 hours ahead of the tournament are quite stressful as they try to reduce every single gram of excess weight. Once they qualify for the correct weight on the morning of the event, they try to regain a little weight, by mostly drinking fluids.

Reducing weight is just the first step for any wrestler to be successful.

After the event is over, the process starts once again- as they build their muscle mass and then reduce weight ahead of the event.

Losing weight in a stipulated time is quite difficult, especially for those athletes, who have lean muscles and a body fat percentage in single digits.

The practice of weight cuts is spread only in the Olympic weight categories. For male wrestlers, the categories begin at 57kg and then it goes up to the 8-12 kg category, and in the final, it goes from 97 to 125kg. A wrestler is usually competing against a heavier opponent unless he reduces his weight. The categories are quite less for female wrestlers (3-4-5-6-8 kg between each of the categories) but the rules don't change much.