Vinesh Phogat Disqualification: Know How Athletes Manage Their Weight

Paris Olympics 2024:  The disqualification of Vinesh Phogat at the Paris Olympics has kick-started a hot debate related to weight regulations in wrestling and other sports.  Phogat could not compete because she was 50 grams above the limits. Such is the situation wherein the basics of weight management in competitive sports are questioned. Experts and trainers assert that this is to a small degree of weight reduction and can be achieved and taken place before as well. For example, Indian female boxer Mary Kom has resorted to weight manipulation on dozens of occasions before fights.

Mary Kom faced a similar problem while participating in an open boxing championship in Poland where she had entered with 2 kgs more than her category. Afraid of being disqualified, she lost 2 kgs overnight to make it for the weigh-in. Though wrestling is different from boxing, the rules, and weight manipulation are totally related.

Vinesh Phogat Case: FTB Suits For Weight Loss

Most of athletes use different techniques to reduce their weight within a very short period by subjecting themselves to heavy exercise and, in addition, putting on special attires that make the body sweat more. FTB suits are put on that increase the amount of heat output by the body. Among other ways of reducing weight, an athlete visits a bathroom several times to flush out excess water in the body.

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Weight Count Before Match

The big challenge for Phogat was the restriction on time for weight checks. Wrestlers are weighed before their respective matches and if they are competing on successive days they are weighed each day. On the day of the match, their weight is also measured in the morning. Wrestlers in the past had 30 minutes to trim down for the first weigh-in, but nowadays it is only 15 minutes for the other subsequent checks.

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