Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the finals at Paris Olympics 2024 for being overweight in the women’s 50kg category on the morning of her bout. According to reports, she was 100 grams over the permissible weight when she arrived for the morning weigh-in. She was within the required weight on Tuesday, the first day of her bouts at these Olympics. Veteran actor turned politician Hema Malini has now reacted to the news and said that it is ‘a lesson for all of us’ to keep our weight in check. 

What Hema Malini said

Talking to PTI, Hema Malini said, “It is very surprising and bada ajeeb sa bhi lagta hain ki 100 gm ki wajah se woh disqualify ho gayi. Kitna mehatwa hain apna weight aur wazan ko theek se rakhna! Hum sab ko isse ek achha seekh milna chahiye sab kalakaro ko, mahilayon ko sabko… ki 100 gm also matters a lot! We feel very sad for her. I wish she loses that 100 grams quickly lekin milega nahi abhi (It is very surprising, and it feels strange that she was disqualified for being 100 gm overweight. It is important to keep the weight in check. It is a lesson for all of us. I wish she should lose that 100 gm quickly but she would not get an opportunity).”

People on the internet found her comment too silly. Hundreds of comments called her unfit for Parliament for it. “I really don’t get why people vote for someone like Hema Malini,” wrote a person. “It's an extremely stupid and insensitive thing to say in this context... Being over weight by 100 g is more of a logistical error and bad luck rather than her being unhealthy... Do you realise that the extreme training and the strict diet these Olympic athletes follow... She did not defeat the world no 1 being mediocre in power and skill... Saying these things makes it seem that she was eating samosas and ice cream everyday… Healthy living is an important message but there is a time place for everything,” wrote someone else. 

A person wrote, “Yaar kya hi bol rahi hai mam (What are you even saying ma'am).” “She doesn’t know anything about sports and wrestling, she will say what she knows , it’s beauty standards and maintaining certain weight. Plz don’t hate her . It’s not her fault , she was raised in Bollywood industry,” commented another."

More details

Several Bollywood stars, including Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Farhan Akhtar, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha and Varun Grover reacted to the heartbreaking news of the wrestler's disqualification on their social media.

The Indian wrestler was up all night trying to trim the extra kilos through several means but to no avail. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said in a statement, “It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time.”