Weight cutting is a common practice in Olympic wrestling and other weight-category sports.

Some athletes choose to compete in a category below their natural weight to compete against a weaker opponent.

Athletes tend to restrict food and fluid intake before weigh-in and combine this with activities that cause sweating, such as training or sauna use.

“The process of losing weight before the morning weigh-in involves a calculated restriction of food and water,” said Dinshaw Paudiwala, chief medical officer of the Indian delegation.

“In addition, the athlete needs to sweat, and this sweating is achieved through sauna and exercise.”

Restricting fluid and food intake leads to weakness, which is counterproductive to high-level athletic performance. After weigh-ins, athletes will consume high-energy foods to repair their bodies and prepare them for competition.

Phogat had to drink water to stay hydrated ahead of his three matches on Tuesday but his weight increased more than planned and his team had to take extreme measures overnight.

“Throughout the night, we tried every possible drastic measure like cutting her hair, shortening her clothes, but despite all this, we could not succeed,” Paudiwala said after Wednesday’s disqualification incident.

Vinesh was then given fluids intravenously.