‘Weight management is wrestler’s responsibility’: WFI bans wrestler Neha Sangwan for failing to make weight at U20 World Championships

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has come down heavily on Neha Sangwan after the 18-year-old wrestler from Vinesh Phogat’s Balali village in Haryana was disqualified from the recent U20 World Championships for being overweight. The former U17 world champion, Neha, has also been suspended for two years “consistent weight management issues” and lost her spot in the senior squad for the upcoming World Wrestling Championships.

Neha was to compete in the women’s 59kg class in Samokov, Bulgaria, last week, but weighed about 600 grams more than the permissible limit. The organisers disqualified her and India went unrepresented in that weight category due to the transgression.

India’s women team won seven medals to finish runner-up behind Japan. Neha, without doubt, was a strong medal contender and could have helped India win the team championship by winning a gold.

India finished with 140 points behind Japan’s 165.

Neha removed from India’s Wrestling World Championship team

Neha has been replaced by Sarika Malik, who had finished second in the World Championship trials in the 59kg competition.

The Worlds are scheduled to be held in Zagreb Croatia from September 13-21.

“This is not acceptable. Weight management is something that a wrestler has to take care of. We missed out on a medal in that weight category in Bulgaria. We also have accountability because the government funds the tournament expenses and around Rs 2-3 lakh is spent on one wrestler. If you can’t manage the weight, we will give the chance to the next best wrestler,” said a WFI official.

Neha has been growing into a good wrestler and her transition from junior to senior has also been very encouraging.

India lose star wrestler in Neha

She had won a bronze medal at the 2024 U20 World Championship and this year has already won three medals at the senior level in 57kg weight class.

She won the UWW Ranking Series Mongolia Open in 57kg in May and also finished on top in Yasar Dagu in June. Last month, she won a silver at the Ranking Series event in Budapest.

Last year, she won the U17 World Championships in the 57kg event.

“In Ranking series events, all wrestlers get a 2 kg weight tolerance as per the UWW rules, so she was not troubled in these events but she is consistently struggling with weight management.

“Even during the U20 World Championship in Spain last year, she was really struggling to maintain right weight on the scale. A wrestler at this level knows what he or she is expected to do, so weight management is a wrestler’s responsibility. If you can’t do that, you can’t play,” said the official.

Asked if the punishment was not harsh for a promising wrestler like Neha, the WFI said, “We are not doing it for joy. She certainly is a good wrestler but if you are not going to compete, what’s point of all the hard work.”

With agency inputs