Vinesh Phogat Appeals for Joint Silver Medal After Disqualification at Paris Olympics

The buzz around Vinesh Phogat‘s appeal is set to reach its peak as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) gears up to hear her case this Friday. The hearing will take place at 2 PM local time, which is 5:30 PM IST, and it’s expected to draw significant attention given the circumstances surrounding her recent disqualification from the Paris Olympics.

Vinesh, a promising Indian wrestler who performed remarkably to reach the finals in the women’s 50kg category, faced a setback when she was disqualified after being found overweight by just 100 grams at the weigh-in. This unfortunate turn of events has left her and her supporters in a state of disbelief.

Representing Vinesh in her plea to the CAS are renowned senior counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania, along with four pro bono lawyers from the Paris Bar. As many know, she was all set to compete in the final against Sarah Hildebrandt from the USA before the disqualification changed her fate.

Before her disqualification, Vinesh had shown impressive skills in her matches, defeating Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán to secure her spot in the finals. However, the excitement turned to disappointment on the next day, leading to a swift filing of appeals to the CAS.

Vinesh’s appeals focus on two main points: the fairness of her previous matches and her request for a joint silver medal alongside Guzmán, who won the silver medal. The CAS has accepted her appeal, but the verdict on whether she will receive the medal could take a few days to be announced.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is also on board, having met with officials from United World Wrestling in hopes of retaining Vinesh’s results from her initial bouts. However, their discussions didn’t yield the desired outcome.

In her defense, Vinesh’s team highlighted that she had successfully weighed in at a compliant weight earlier in the day, and the small weight issue could have easily been influenced by natural body fluctuations during the intense competition schedule.

Given the rigorous demands of the Olympic wrestling format, her team argues that the minor 100-gram margin was simply a reflection of striving to maintain her health as she competed multiple rounds in one day.