The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has clarified that the responsibility for weight management of athletes in sports like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and judo lies with the individual athletes and their coaches, not with the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team.
IOA President Dr. PT Usha emphasized that each Indian athlete participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in these sports has their own support team that has been working with them for years. These teams include nutritionists and physiotherapists who are responsible for monitoring and managing the athletes’ weight.
The IOA appointed a medical team a few months ago primarily to assist in the recovery and injury management of athletes during and after competitions. This team was also intended to support athletes who did not have their own team of medical professionals.
Dr. Usha condemned the hate directed at the IOA medical team, particularly Dr. Pardiwala, and urged those criticizing the team to consider all the facts before making judgments.
This clarification comes after Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women’s 50 kg final at the Paris Olympics for exceeding the weight limit. Phogat has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to award her the silver medal.
CAS has extended the deadline for delivering its verdict on Phogat’s appeal to Tuesday, August 13. The ad hoc division of CAS has granted the sole arbitrator, Dr. Annabelle Bennett, additional time to consider the case.
Reacting to the extension, Vinesh Phogat’s uncle, Mahavir Phogat, expressed his patience and willingness to accept the decision whenever it is announced.
Following her disqualification, Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling. She had achieved significant success in her career, including two World Championships bronze medals, an Asian Games gold medal, and three Commonwealth Games gold medals.
