New Delhi: Indian Olympics Association (IOA) chief PT Usha claimed that Vinesh Phogat's disqualification for not being able to compete in the Paris Olympics finals is a failure of the athlete and the coach. Defending IOA's medical team, Usha said that it was the athlete and her coach who should have taken care of her weight.
Following Vinesh's disqualification, IOA's medical officer Dinhsaw Pardiwala came under widespread criticism, and Usha supported him.
Usha asserted that in sports like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, judo, etc., it is the responsibility of the athlete and their coach to maintain the athlete's weight. It is not the burden of the medical officers appointed by the IOA or his team members. She said that widespread hatred against the medical team is not acceptable. All the players who played in these events had their own supporting staff.
When athletes are supported by people who have been associated with them for many years, it has been only two months since the IOA medical team was appointed. Their job is to deal with injuries and the like. Usha said that those rushing to criticise the IOA medical team should consider all the facts before jumping to any conclusions.
Vinesh was disqualified for gaining 100 grams in the weight test before the finals. A hearing was set for the star grappler after she appealed for a shared silver medal.
Following the heartbreaking disqualification from Paris Olympics wrestling, Indian star grappler Vinesh Phogat, who was supposed to be the first woman to reach an Olympics wrestling final, announced her retirement from the sport last week.