The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Dr PT Usha on Sunday clarified that the responsibility of weight management of athletes in sport like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo is that of each athlete and his or her coach and not that of the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president, PT Usha, stated that athletes and their coaches in weight-sensitive sports like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and judo are solely responsible for managing their weight.

She emphasized that the IOA's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, and his team are not accountable for athletes' weight management, clarifying their roles and responsibilities.

The 29-year-old wrestler was debarred from the women's 50kg freestyle final in the Paris Olympics for being 100gm above the prescribed limit in the morning weigh-in, after which she appealed in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal.

"The responsibility of weight management of athletes in sport like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo is that of each athlete and his or her coach and NOT that of the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team. The hate directed at the IOA medical team, especially Dr. Pardiwala, is unacceptable and worthy of condemnation," Usha said in a statement as per PTI.

Vinesh made history by advancing to the Olympic finals last week, only to be disqualified hours later for being slightly overweight.

"Each Indian athlete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in such sport had his or her own support team. These support teams have been working with the athletes over so many years," Usha said.

"The IOA appointed a medical team a couple of months ago, primarily as a team that would assist in the recovery and injury management of athletes during and after their competition. This team was also designed to support athletes who did not have their own team of nutritionists and physiotherapists." 

Vinesh suffered a devastating blow when she was disqualified from her gold-medal match in the freestyle 50kg category due to being 100 grams over the weight limit during the morning weigh-in. This crushing setback led to the abrupt end of her Olympic aspirations and prompted her to announce her retirement from the sport.

The ad-hoc division of the CAS will take some more time to deliberate on Vinesh's appeal and will announce its decision only on August 13.