New Delhi: Hours after Indian grappler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics after she was found to be above the required weight for her 50 kg wrestling category match, Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a statement in the Lok Sabha said that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has lodged a strong protest with the International Wrestling Federation.
In his six-minute speech, Mandaviya however devoted only about two and a half minutes to the events that transpired before Phogat was disqualified and the steps being taken to address the issue, and spent the remaining approximately four minutes detailing the financial assistance given to the grappler by the Indian government for her training.
Phogat was one of the faces of the wrestlers’ protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing multiple wrestlers.
Opposition members who raised protests as Mandaviya was giving out the details of financial assistance to Phogat were not allowed to raise any questions by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, following which they staged a walkout.
“Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics as she was 100 g overweight. Vinesh was competing in the 50 kg category and for this her weight needed to be 50 kg. Under UWW [United World Wrestling] rules, all competitors are weighed every morning,” said Mandaviya.
Quoting Article 11 of the UWW rules, Mandaviya said that Phogat’s weight was taken on Wednesday (August 7) morning.
“On August 7 … the weight for 50 kg women’s wrestling was determined at 7:15 and 7:30 [am] Paris time, for wrestlers participating in repechages. Vinesh’s weight was found to be 50 kg and 100 g. Therefore, she was declared ineligible for the competition. The IOA has lodged a strong protest with the International Wrestling Federation in this matter,” he said.
Mandaviya said that IOA chief P.T. Usha was in Paris and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to her directly.
“The prime minister himself has spoken to her and directed her to take the necessary action.”
He then went on to list Phogat’s bouts on Wednesday and said that as far as her preparations were concerned, she was provided all possible financial assistance by the Indian government, which led to loud protests from opposition members.
“As far as her preparations and support [are concerned], the Indian government gave her all possible assistance according to her needs. She was also provided personal staff who are specialists in their own domains. She was provided with Hungary’s famous coach Woller Akos and physio Ashwini Patil who were always present with her.
“For the Olympics, personal assistance, including various sparring partners and strength and conditioning specialists were also provided, which includes her coach Woller Akos, Wayne Patrick Lombard [a strength and conditioning specialist], Ashwini Jeewan Patil [her physiotherapist], Mayank Singh Garia [a strength and conditioning specialist], Shubham and Arvind [her sparring partners].”
Mandaviya said that a total of Rs 70,45,775 was provided to Phogat for the Olympics. He also listed the various training competitions and camps she went to, including the Grand Prix in Spain in July, the UWW second ranking series in Budapest in June, and training at the Tata Olympic Centre in Hungary.
He also stated that she was given financial assistance to attend Belmeken in Bulgaria in 2022 for her rehab.
“For the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she was given financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1,13,98,224, and for the Paris Olympics she was given assistance of Rs 53,35,746 spent under TOPS and another Rs 17,10,029 spent under ACTC … i.e. a total of Rs 70,45,775 was given to our athlete.”
Opposition stages walkout in both houses
While opposition members raised loud protests during his speech detailing the financial assistance provided to Phogat, Birla did not allow them to raise any supplementary questions, following which they staged a walkout.
In the Rajya Sabha too, INDIA MPs staged a walkout after leader of opposition and Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to raise the issue in the House. During the discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, Kharge sought to raise Phogat’s disqualification in the House but was not allowed to do so by Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Opposition members could be heard raising slogans of “desh ki beti ko nyay do” (give justice to India’s daughter), after which they staged a walkout.
Outside the parliament building, INDIA MPs raised slogans and staged a protest.
भारतीय खेल इतिहास के लिए आज का दिन ‘ब्लैक डे’ है।
इसे लेकर INDIA गठबंधन के सांसदों ने विनेश फोगट के लिए न्याय की मांग करते हुए संसद परिसर में विरोध प्रदर्शन किया। pic.twitter.com/xzQOcxiXjs
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 7, 2024
“140 crore people in the country are shocked today. This is a black day in Indian sports history. This is a huge hate conspiracy against the daughter of the country. First, Modi ji‘s favorite Brij Bhushan Singh tortured her, then after struggling for 140 days on the streets of Delhi she was dragged away by the police. Even after this, she hoisted the tricolour in the Olympics, but now as part of a conspiracy, she was disqualified,” Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said to reporters.
BJP MP Hema Malini told reporters outside parliament that Phogat’s disqualification showed how important it was to keep one’s weight in check.
“It is very surprising, and it feels strange that she was disqualified for being 100 g overweight. This shows how important it is to keep your weight in check. It is a lesson for all of us as women and artists. I wish she loses that 100 g quickly [sic]. But she has lost the opportunity now,” she said.
‘Probe must be ordered’
In a statement, IOA chief Usha said she had met Phogat, who was disappointed with her disqualification, and assured her of all possible assistance.
“The Wrestling Federation of India has filed an appeal with the UWW to reconsider the decision to disqualify Vinesh and IOA is following that up in the highest possible manner,” her statement said.
Meanwhile, WFI chief Sanjay Singh said that a probe must be ordered against Phogat’s disqualification.
“I have held a conversation with the IOA and UWW and asked them for some relaxation. I don’t think Vinesh is at fault here. She was performing wonderfully, and the entire responsibility here is of her coach and the supporting staff. A probe should be [launched into] how her weight increased. I urge the central government to take strict action against them [her coach and the supporting staff],” he said to the Press Trust of India.
