.jpg?width=1200)
A news anchor from a known Indian television channel was seen criticising Vinesh Phogat over her unpreparedness towards the big day at the Olympics after her name was taken down citing weight concerns. The journalist said there's no point of feeling bad after the disqualification, and the preparedness for the biggest event by the athelete should have come in advance. This came as a shocking reaction to Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's last-minute disqualification at the Paris Olympic Games and made netizens slam Shalini Kapoor Tiwari, the TV news anchor from News 18 for her insensitive remarks on live television.
"Why such situation arose?" News anchor questions weight management
"I go to appear for an examination and I keep saying that I have failed despite studying the entire night before the exam... These just become mere reasons (translated from Hindi)," the anchor was heard saying while sharing an analogy of a student's preparation to Phogat's incident.
"This is upsetting but we must also think why such a situation arose at the first place," Shalini added while speaking to a panelist named Amrit who pointed out that losing two kgs overnight is an extremely tough thing for any player.
Watch video
Netizens slam news anchor
The news anchor's remarks didn't go well with the audience, they found them to be insulting. The video went viral on social media as people slammed the anchor her "insensitive and senseless" reaction to the saddening update from Olympics.
"Whoever this news anchor is can go to hell. Shame on you," X users wrote while condemning the live telecast.
"How dare you disrespect a national hero who has fought for our country's pride? Show some respect or get out of the journalism business," another X user replied.
'No intention to hurt or insult anyone'
Observing the massive outrage over her controversial comments, Shalini Kapoor Tiwari issued an apology note on her X account, saying: "Nothing is bigger than the country. Like every citizen of the country, it was my dream to see Vinesh winning the medal to the passionate tune of the national anthem. Everyone is deeply saddened by Vinesh Phogat being disqualified. My heart also broke after hearing this news. If anyone got angry with my statement during this time, it is natural. My intention was never to hurt or insult anyone. I express regret and take back my words."
.jpg)
While the anchor clarified on her personal grounds, the news media outlet also released a statement with respect to the incident. "News18 India, like all countrymen, is saddened by the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat," they said in a post from their official X handle.
.jpg)
Vinesh Phogat disqualified from 2024 Paris Olympics
On August 7, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was India's strongest hope for a Gold medal at the Paris Olympics, was declared to be disqualified for not meeting the said weight requirements. She was termed ineligible to participate in the 50kg women's wrestling for being overweight by nearly two kgs.
Reports pointed out that the wrestler didn't sleep the whole night and was instead working out to meet the weight criteria. However, she couldn't make it to the wrestling game despite jogging, skipping and cycling throughout.
