'Weight management is responsibility of athlete and coach'; PT Usha defends medical team appointed by IOA on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification

PARIS: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Dr PT Usha has sparked a controversy by stating that the responsibility of weight management of athletes in sports like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo is that of each athlete and his or her coach and not that of the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team. The statement of the IOA president comes as a heavy blow to the arguments of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who approached the Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS) challenging her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024. Several people have come forward criticising Usha's statement. Phogat was disqualified from competing in the final bout due to being 'overweight' by 100 grams, weighing in at 50.1 kilograms.

"The hate directed at the IOA medical team, especially Dr Pardiwala, is unacceptable and worthy of condemnation. I hope that those rushing to judge the IOA medical team would consider all the facts before arriving at any conclusions. Each Indian athlete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in such sport had his or her own support team. These support teams have been working with the athletes over so many years. They are the ones who should make decisions on the athlete's weight and other matters", Usha said.

The IOA had appointed a medical team led by Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala a couple of months ago, primarily as a team that would assist in the recovery and injury management of athletes during and after their competition. This team was also designed to support athletes who did not have their own team of nutritionists and physiotherapists.