Vinesh Phogat Ruling Before End Of The Games: Sports Court
The ad hoc Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), where Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat appealed against her disqualification from the Paris Olympics ahead of her final in 50 kg freestyle, said the ruling on her plea is expected to be issued before the end of the Olympic games.
As per the press release, an application was filed in the court at 16:45 CEST (20:15 IST) August 7 by Phogat challenging the decision of the United World Wrestling (UWW) to replace her after she failed to pass the weight-in before her gold medal match in the women’s freestyle 50 kg category.
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Phogat initially sought a decision from the CAS ad hoc division annulling the challenged (UWW’s) decision and seeking another weigh-in before the final match, along with a declaration that she be declared eligible and qualified to participate in the finals. However, the Indian wrestler did not request urgent interim measures, stated the press release.
“The CAS Ad hoc Division procedure is fast, but it was not possible for a decision on the merits to be issued within an hour, bearing in mind that the Respondent UWW would have had to be heard first,” it stated.
However, it added that the procedure is ongoing. Phogat has confirmed that she seeks the annulment of the UWW’s decision and that she has requested to be awarded a (shared) silver medal.
The matter has been referred to Dr. Annabelle Bennett AC SC (Australia), who is serving as a Sole Arbitrator and will hold a hearing with the involved parties today. The Sole Arbitrator’s decision will be announced on August 11, the day when the Olympic games wrap up.
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On August 7, Phogat, who was at the cusp of grabbing the gold medal was disqualified due to being 100 grams overweight. She scripted history on Tuesday by entering the finals, however, the wrestler was disqualified for being overweight. The 2022 World Championships bronze medallist became the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to make it to an Olympics final, defeating Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki, Ukraine’s Oksana Livach, and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez.
Phogat was nearly 2 kgs overweight on Tuesday night and tried everything from jogging, cycling and skipping to lose weight the entire night. Despite the desperate attempts, she was not able to lose the 100 grams. The Indian delegates requested for extra time for Phogat to lose the last 100 grams but to no avail.
