‘Rules are rules’: Global wrestling body UWW chief Nenad Lalovic on Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification

United World Wrestling chief Nenad Lalovic has opened on Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the ongoing Paris Olympics. On Tuesday, Phogat had become the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics final and had assured herself and the country a medal.

But things turned south when Phogat weighed 50.100 kg, thus 100 grams more than the permissible weight on Wednesday morning. As a result and according to rules, she was disqualified and finished last.

Lalovic said they can’t relax the rules as they are out there in the public and athletes know them before they take part in the tournament. The global wrestling body chief they want wrestlers to compete at their natural weight.

“We have to respect the rules. I’m so sad that what happened to her (Vinesh). She was overweight very small one. But the rules are rules and everything is public. All the athletes are there and it’s impossible to let someone to compete who does not make the weight,” Nenad Lalovic said in the interview with Sportstar.

“We want athletes to compete in their natural weight. This is when they make best performance”, he said.

The UWW head further said that it was impossible to give Vinesh the medal because she reached the final.

“Impossible. Because the brackets are changing, everything is changing. And anyway, the rules are rules. Everybody who goes to this… continues, they know they have a second way. I don’t see anything that can be done. The competition continues, and I really don’t see that it is possible,” Lalovic added.

After her disappointing disqualification, Vinesh Phogat decided to retire from wrestling.

“Mom, forgive me. Wrestling beat me, I’ve lost. Your dreams and my courage are broken. I don’t have strength anymore to fight,” she posted on X early on Thursday.