Vinesh Phogat Silver Medal Verdict: Vinesh Phogat will have to wait longer for the silver medal. Her decision has been postponed. Vinesh was disqualified before the gold medal match of Paris Olympics 2024. Indian wrestler Vinesh had appealed to CAS regarding this. Their decision was to come around 9.30 pm on Tuesday. But now it will come on August 16.
Actually Vinesh Phogat had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for the silver medal. CAS heard the matter on 9th August. During this time, Indian Olympic Association’s senior lawyer Harish Salve represented Vinesh. Vinesh was disqualified due to overweight. Her weight was found to be 100 grams more. Now Vinesh is demanding a joint silver medal.
Table of Contents
Before the final match, Vinesh was disqualified due to being 100 grams overweight, while in the weigh-in done before the preliminary round, Vinesh was below the prescribed limit of 50 kg weight category. In such a situation, Vinesh has demanded a joint silver medal.
On this matter, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) said, ‘We are speeding up the process in Vinesh’s case, but it is not possible to give a decision on her appeal in an hour. In this case, it is necessary to hear the side of United World Wrestling first. The decision has to be taken by Dr. Annabel Bennett.’
Questions on repechage in Vinesh case
In the Vinesh case, questions are being raised on the participation of Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki in the bronze medal in the repechage. 50 kg world champion and Olympic medalist Yui Susaki was defeated by Vinesh in the pre-quarterfinals. Vinesh was disqualified before the final as she was 100 grams more than her 50 kg weight.
Instead of Vinesh, Cuba’s Yusnelis Guzman, who lost the semi-final to her, faced USA’s Sarah Hildebrot in the final. In such a situation, questions are being raised on UWW’s decision to allow Susaki to play in the repechage, because when Vinesh was disqualified and was not allowed to play in the final, how can Susaki play. As per the rules of United World Wrestling (UWW), only those wrestlers fight for the bronze medal in the repechage who have lost to the finalist.
Weight management is the responsibility of the player and coach: PT Usha
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha said, “Weight management is the responsibility of the player and coach. Especially in sports like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo. In these, the responsibility of weight management of the athletes lies with each athlete and his coach, not with the IOA-appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team.”
Thomas Bach had said – We will accept the court’s decision
In Vinesh’s case, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on the question ‘Can two silver medals be given in one weight category?’ – ‘No, if you are asking about giving two silver medals in one category in general.
I think the rules of the International Federation should be followed. The decision of weight cut was of United World Wrestling. If we allow with 100 grams then why not with 102 grams. Now this matter is in the court. Now we will follow the decision of CAS. Still the federation has to implement its rules. It is their responsibility.
These arguments were also put in Vinesh’s favour
It was said in Vinesh’s favour in the sports court that 100 grams of weight is very less. It is not more than 0.1% to 0.2% of the athlete’s weight. It can also easily increase due to the swelling of the human body in the summer season because due to the heat, more water accumulates in the body due to the need of human survival. Apart from this, Vinesh had to fight 3 competitions in a single day. During this time, she also had to eat to maintain energy.
The Indian side said that due to the distance between the sports village and the arena of the Olympic Games and the tight schedule of fights on the first day, Vinesh did not get enough time to reduce weight. Vinesh’s weight had reached 52.7 kg after fighting 3 bouts on the first day.
Minor Weight Increase: It was argued in Vinesh’s favor that a 100-gram weight increase is negligible, amounting to only 0.1% to 0.2% of her total body weight. This increase could be due to body swelling in the summer, as more water is retained for survival in the heat.
Physical Demands: Vinesh competed in three matches in a single day, requiring her to eat to maintain energy levels, which could have contributed to the slight weight gain.
Logistical Challenges: The Indian side highlighted that the distance between the sports village and the Olympic arena, combined with a tight schedule, left Vinesh with insufficient time to reduce her weight. After three bouts, her weight reached 52.7 kg.
Vinesh’s retirement on the second day of medal appeal
After being disqualified before the Paris Olympic final, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday. She wrote in a post on X at 5.17 am on Thursday – “Maa wrestling won over me, I lost. Sorry, your dream, my courage, all are broken. I don’t have more strength than this now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024, I will always be indebted to all of you, sorry.”
This picture of Vinesh Phogat is viral on social media. It is being said that Vinesh was very disappointed after being excluded from the Olympics.
100 grams did not help Vinesh win the gold: On August 6, Vinesh Phogat made it to the finals of the 50 kg category of women’s wrestling at the Paris Olympics. According to wrestling rules, the wrestler’s weight is measured on the morning of the match. When Vinesh’s weight was measured, she was 100 grams more than her category i.e. 50 kg, after which she was excluded from the finals.
CAS hears the disputes of Olympic Games
There is a CAS department here to resolve any dispute during the Olympic Games. Cuban wrestler Yusnelis Guzman Lopez, who lost to Vinesh in the semi-finals, took her place in the final. The first hearing in CAS took place on Friday.
What is CAS?
The Court of Arbitration for Sport i.e. CAS is an organization created for sports around the world. Its job is to end legal disputes related to sports. It was established in the year 1984. Its headquarters is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its courts are also in New York and Sydney. Temporary courts are also built in current Olympic cities. For this reason, CAS is established in Paris this time, where the Vinesh Phogat case was heard.
Special things related to Harish Salve
Former Solicitor General of India and King’s Counsel Salve started his career in advocacy in 1975 with the case of actor Dilip Kumar. Born in Maharashtra, Salve originally hails from Nagpur. In 1992, he was given the rank of senior advocate by the Supreme Court. After this, in 1999, he was declared Solicitor General.
Salve had taken Rs 1 as fee in Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
He had first pleaded the anti-dumping case in the Supreme Court. In the year 2015, Salman Khan was sentenced to 5 years in jail in the hit and run case. Harish Salve represented Salman Khan in this case. After which he was acquitted of all the charges of hit-and-run and drunk-and-drive cases. In Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case, he took just Rs 1 as fee from the Indian Government. He has also represented Delhi Police in the Yoga Guru Ramdev case in the court.
Vinesh became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final
Vinesh became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of the Olympicsby winning 3 matches. She defeated Cuban wrestler Guzman Lopez in the semi-finals, Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the quarter-finals and world champion Yui Susaki of Japan 3-2 in the pre-quarter-finals.
Also Read:
