From fans to athletes and public figures to business tycoons India is reeling from the shocking disqualification of Vinesh Phogat, who was found 100 grams overweight ahead of her 50kg wrestling final at the Paris Olympics.
This unexpected setback, just before what was expected to be a historic gold medal match, has been described as the “biggest heartbreak” of the games, with widespread anger and disappointment expressed across social media and among celebrities.
Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and wrestler Sakshi Malik, among others, have called the situation “unfair” and “devastating,” while AAP MP Sanjay Singh has demanded a boycott of the Olympics, labeling the incident as a grave injustice to India. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra & Mahindra group, expressed shock as he wrote: “NO! NO! NO! Please make this a bad dream that I will wake up from and find it isn’t true….” Bollywood stars like Farhan Akhtar and Taapsee Pannu have also expressed their solidarity, praising Phogat’s achievements despite the disheartening end to her Olympic journey.