"As part of the Indian contingent, having him present at the Paris Olympics was God’s gift for all fellow athletes,” wrote 30-year-old wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Haryana in a letter acknowledging the contributions of those who had contributed to her recent Olympic journey and naming Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala who was the Indian contingent’s chief medical officer (CMO) at the Olympics in August 2024. Pardiwala, who heads the Centre for Sports Medicine at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and is director of its Arthroscopy and Shoulder Service, had accepted the honorary position of CMO to assist the Indian Olympians.
Following Phogat’s disqualification for being 100 g overweight before the final bout in the 50 kg category, it was Pardiwala and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P. T. Usha who had faced the media. Pardiwala had enumerated on the different measures adopted to make Phogat lose 2.7 kg within 12 hours between her semifinal and final bouts. Besides her nutritionist controlling her food and water intake, and her coach making her sweat it out, they had tried other measures like cutting her hair and shortening her clothing.
Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala at the Paris Olympics;
inset: Vinesh Phogat Photo: Wikipedia
Phogat had challenged the decision to disqualify her at the Court of Arbitration for Sport but her appeal was ultimately turned down. In the meanwhile social media users had lashed out at Pardiwala. In a public statement in defence of Pardiwala, Usha clarified that it is an athlete, his/her nutritionist and the coach who are responsible for maintaining the weight.
In a subsequent discussion with Parsiana on September 9, Pardiwala too reiterated that normally "weight cut is not a medical issue that requires the supervision of a doctor” because it is frequently done for such competitions under the guidance of a competitor’s personal coach, nutritionist and physiotherapist. But knowing that Phogat’s natural weight is around 56/57 kg and she was representing India in the 50 kg category (and not 53 kg which is her forte), the medical team stepped in to ensure "that her health and safety were taken care of and no drastic measures were being contemplated.” Usually the weigh-in is not difficult on the first day when a competitor has sufficient time to regulate the intake. The challenge begins on the next day for even after just one match the body’s metabolism could alter. And Phogat had to go through not one but three rounds as she inched closer to a gold medal.
Unfazed by the unwarranted backlash, Pardiwala felt "the emotions vented in a misdirected way by Indians who may not comprehend the dynamics was understandable.” But seeing how the situation had escalated with "the subject even being discussed in Parliament,” he thought the IOA should have issued a subsequent clarification.
In Pardiwala’s view, it was commendable that his medical team could prevent and manage injuries faced by the Indian contingent. For the first time they were provided a recovery room and rehabilitation center, he pointed out. "There’s always a learning,” commented the genial surgeon to whom the "appreciation from the athletes” was sufficient recompense.
As noted Phogat’s letter that was carried in The Indian Express of August 16, "For me, and I think for many other Indian athletes, he is not just a doctor but an angel in disguise sent by God. When I had stopped believing in myself after facing injuries, it was his belief, work and faith in me that got me back on my feet again.” Grievously injured during the quarter-final bout at Rio in 2016 when she had to be carried out on a stretcher, Phogat’s ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) was operated upon by Pardiwala. He has "operated on me not once but thrice (both knees and one elbow) and has shown me how resilient the human body can be. His dedication, kindness and honesty towards his work and towards Indian sports is something no one will doubt,” wrote the multiple Commonwealth gold medalist.