Vinesh Phogat’s dismissal stands–CAS rejects appeal for joint silver
August 16, 2024 2min read
Vinesh Phogat reacts after winning the semi-final in her 50kg category at the Paris Olympics (Photo: AP)
Seven days after it received the appeal from Vinesh Phogat and after three postponements of decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday, August 14 dismissed her appeal for a joint silver medal in the 50kg category of women’s freestyle at the Paris Olympics.
“The application filed by Vinesh Phogat on 7 August 2024 is dismissed. Consequently, the UWW decision is confirmed,” said a CAS statement signed by the Sole Arbitrator Annabelle Bennett.
The CAS, thus, upheld the world wrestling body, United World Wrestling’s contention that bending the rules for Vinesh Phogat, however disheartening the circumstances may be, cannot be allowed.
Vinesh responded on Thursday with a cryptic post on her Instagram account: An image of herself on the mat, in tears, from one of the bouts at the Paris Olympics, with B Praak’s soundtrack ‘Rabba Ve’, which speaks about an individual’s bad luck and continued despair, added to the background.
After reaching the women’s 50 kg final of her competition on August 7, Vinesh was disqualified for being a little over 100 g overweight during the morning weigh-in.
Vinesh weighed 49.90 kg on the morning ahead of her first-round bout on August 6, well within the permissible limit. She, however, gained weight during the day as she secured three back-to-back wins.
She had appealed to be reinstated for the gold medal bout at first, before altering the appeal and requesting a joint silver medal to be awarded after the final bout was played out by replacing her with the wrestler she defeated in the semi-finals.
Following her disqualification, out of extreme disappointment, Vinesh announced her retirement.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha expressed her shock and disappointment at the decision of the Sole Arbitrator. “The marginal discrepancy of a 100 grams and the resultant consequences has profound impact, not only in terms of Vinesh’s career but also raises serious questions about ambiguous rules and their interpretation,” read the IOA’s statement.
