The entire nation will know whether wrestler Vinesh Phogat will get a silver medal at the Paris Olympics after she got disqualified for being overweight by just 100 grams on the morning of her gold medal bout at Paris Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has announced on August 10 that the final verdict’s time on Vinesh's disqualification from the women's 50kg wrestling freestyle final has been extended. Now, the final decision will be announced at 9:30 PM IST on August 10.
“By application of Article 18 of the CAS Arbitration Rules for the Olympic Games, the President of the CAS Ad Hoc Division extends the time-limit for the Panel to give a decision until 10 August 2024 at 18h00 (Paris time),” CSA said in a statement on August 10.
The key points in Vinesh's defense are -
- She did not commit any fraud.
- Her weight gain was due to the body’s natural recovery process.
- It is the athletes’ fundamental right to look after her body
- Her body weight was under the prescribed limit on day 1 of competition, and weight gain only happened because of recovery and that’s not fraud. That is her fundamental right to replenish her body with nutrients needed to allow her body to recover.
IOC President weighs in on debate
Earlier, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said that awarding two silver medals in one category does not make any sense. He stressed on the importance of not giving any concession to athletes if they don’t fall under the weight category even by a small margin at the time of weigh-in.
"If you ask generally of having two silver medals in one category then my answer is no. There are the regulations of the International Federation that have to be followed and the International Federation, United World Wrestling was taking this decision...Looking at the federation or everybody who has to make such a decision then when and where do you make the cut? Do you say with 100 grams we give it, but with 102 grams we don't give it anymore?... Now it's in CAS, we will in the end follow the CAS decision. But again, the International Federation, they have to apply and interpret their rules. So this is their responsibility," Bach told the media.
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