Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from the Olympics? Know the rules of wrestling

In a sad incident for India, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the gold medal match at Paris Olympics 2024. Before the wrestling final against USA's Sarah Hildebrand in the 50kg freestyle event, Vinesh Phogat seemed to be a few grams overweight. Vinesh was on the weighing scale before the qualifiers and semifinal rounds. However, on the eve of the final, she was found to be 150 grams overweight and thus will not be eligible for the silver medal as well. Let's see how the weight rules work for Olympic wrestling.

Was Vinesh Phogat's weight less than 50 kg earlier?

Vinesh Phogat entered the final with three emphatic wins on Tuesday, August 7. While Vinesh also defeated top seed and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Yui Susaki of Japan in her preliminary round, it was in the 50kg weight category. Vinesh defeated former European champion Oxana Livach of Ukraine in the quarterfinals and Pan American Games champion Yusnelis Guzman of Cuba in the semifinals.

Wrestling Rules and Scoring

• A typical freestyle wrestling match is divided into three-minute rounds similar to Greco-Roman, with a 30-second break after each round. Rounds are reduced by two minutes for official under-15, cadet, and senior competitions.
• It involves two wrestlers facing each other on a nine-metre diameter mat with the ball striking the opponent's shoulders, resulting in an instant victory by 'fouling' the wrestler.
• However, in modern-day wrestling, especially at major events like the Olympics and World Championships, it has become increasingly difficult to win in this way. So there are many other ways to win a match.
• Winning by points is the most common. Wrestlers can attempt to score points by holding, throwing, takedowns, and pinning an opponent to the mat on his back for several seconds, or by flipping him over.
• Points are awarded based on the difficulty of the trick, and a trick can earn between 1 and 5 points. High-scoring tricks, usually arcing throws, receive the most points.
• Players also receive points when a player misbehaves with his opponent, such as applying an illegal hold or attempting to escape instead of defending, which can also result in a loss. The competition is often judged carefully. After three warnings during a bout, the offending wrestler is disqualified from the bout.
• At the end of the six-minute period, the wrestler with the most points in total wins is declared the winner.
• If both wrestlers have equal points then the match goes into a tie-break.
• If a freestyle wrestler has a 10-point lead over his opponent at any stage of the match, the result of the match is declared and the wrestler with the lead in points is declared the winner based on superiority of moves.

What are the weight rules for Olympic wrestling?

• Any wrestler competing on the day of a match is weighed in the morning.
• The tournaments for each weight class will be played over a two-day period, so any wrestler competing in the finals or repechage will have to participate on both days.
• During the first weigh-in, wrestlers will have 30 minutes to weigh-in.
• They have the right to go on the scale as many times as they want.
• The contestants are weighed individually.
• Athletes are examined for any symptoms of infectious disease and have their nails cut very short.
• The final 15 minutes of the weigh-in will count for any wrestlers competing the next day.

Know if Vinesh can still win bronze or silver medal?

According to the rules, after being disqualified, wrestler Vinesh Phogat will not be able to win a medal in Paris Olympics 2024. This means that despite reaching the final, Vinesh will have to return home without a medal. It is clear that despite reaching the final, Vinesh Phogat will have to miss out on the silver and bronze medals, let alone the gold medal.