"Rules are rules" – UWW president Nenad Lalovic on Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from Paris Olympics 2024
Nenad Lalovic, the president of the United World Wrestling (UWW), has said that it would not have been fair to give the silver medal to Vinesh Phogat in the Paris Olympics 2024. On Wednesday (August 7), Vinesh was disqualified from the quadrennial event after she was found overweight before her gold-medal match in the women’s 50kg category event.
Vinesh’s weight was found to be 100 grams more than the permissible limit during the weigh-in before her match against the USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt. Earlier on Tuesday, Vinesh had confirmed India their fourth medal of the ongoing Olympics after she defeated Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman.
But after getting disqualified, the 29-year-old Vinesh would not be eligible for any medal and would also finish last, given the UWW rules and regulations. Lalovic said that the UWW cannot afford to compromise on rules by any means.
“We have to respect the rules. The rules are rules. I feel very sorry for her. She was overweight by a very small margin. The weigh-in process is public, all the athletes are there. It is impossible to let someone who does not pass the weigh-in, participate. Impossible to give Vinesh, the silver,” Lalovic told India Today.
After Vinesh was barred, Guzman, who lost to the Indian wrestler in the semis, was picked as Hildebrandt’s opponent for the summit clash in her category.
Vinesh Phogat’s journey in Paris Olympics
Vinesh could not live her dream in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. While injury struck in Rio, she was eliminated unexpectedly at the Japanese capital. However, she was well on her way to turn her fortunes around in Paris. Vinesh was all set to become the first Indian to reach a gold-medal bout in the history of the Olympics. She looked in ominous form after taking down Tokyo gold-medalist Yui Susaki, who had won all of her 82 international matches until their Paris Olympics face-off.
In the quarters and semis, Vinesh looked in prime form, but the rub of the green did not favor her, leading to her elimination.