No silver lining for Vinesh Phogat
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 14
In a big blow to wrestler Vinesh Phogat, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed her plea to be awarded a silver medal in the 50kg weight class competition of the Paris Olympics. Vinesh was seeking her disqualification, for being overweight, to be set aside and awarded a joint silver medal.
The final order that was announced today came as a surprise as the president of the CAS ad hoc division had deferred it many times since last week and it was once again deferred for August 16 on Tuesday.
As per the UWW rules, after being found overweight Vinesh was first disqualified and then placed last on the results sheet.
Vinesh had first appealed through her lawyers — Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim and Charles Amson — wanting to be fielded for the finals. However, the lawyers modified the appeal wherein they argued that Vinesh should be awarded the silver.
“The conditions under which she ‘regained’ weight after her first fights clearly show that this was not a case of excess weight providing any advantage whatsoever, but merely the implementation of a classic and essential recovery process,” the lawyers had said in their filed appeal.
Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha has criticised the decision saying that the manner of Vinesh’s disqualification needed deeper examination.
“The IOA firmly believes that the total disqualification of an athlete for such a weight infraction on the second of two days warrants a deeper examination. Our legal representatives had duly brought this out in their submissions before the Sole Arbitrator,” Usha said in her statement.
“...It is a stark reminder of the need for more equitable and reasonable standards that prioritize athletes’ well-being. In light of the order of the CAS, the IOA continues to stand in full support of Ms. Phogat and is exploring further legal options. The IOA is committed to ensuring that Vinesh’s case is heard,” the statement added.
While she lost her fight against CAS, Vinesh had scripted one of the biggest upsets on the mat as she defeated reigning champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, she then proceeded to beat Ukraine’s Oksana Livach before seeing off Yusneylis Guzman of Cuba to set up a final bout against USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt.
Following her disqualification, Guzman was upgraded to fight Hildebrandt in the finals and Susaki and Livach were upgraded for the repechage bout for bronze.
UWW rule that hurt Vinesh
According to Article 11 of the International Wrestling Rules:
a) If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), she/he will be eliminated from the competition and ranked last, without rank.
b) If one (or more) athletes qualified for the repechages and/or finals don’t attend or fail the weigh-in, the athlete(s) (who successfully passed the second weigh-in) will move to the next round in his (their) part of the bracket.
- Joy to heartbreak
- Vinesh reaches the final after beating defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan, Ukraine’s Oksana Livach and Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman on the opening day of the women’s 50kg competition
- On the morning of the second day, the 29-year-old is disqualified for being 100gm overweight at the weigh-in, hours before her final against USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt
- The three-time Olympian announces her retirement from the sport a day after her disqualification
- Vinesh appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, demanding that she be given a joint silver with Lopez
- The ad hoc division of the CAS defers the decision till August 16 — the third deferment in the case
- The CAS rejects the appeal on August 14, with the IOA expressing “shock and disappointment” at the decision
