Indian star wrestler Vinesh Phogat's hearing on the challenge of her silver medal is underway. Vinesh has appealed against her disqualification from the 50kg category Olympic finals in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal after being forced out for being 100 gm overweight in the morning weigh-in.
Vinesh was qualified for the final after defeating two opponents but she failed to meet the weight criteria just before the finale and that led her to a direct disqualification from the event. The rules of admission of such cases at CAS is very clear. The claimant, before filing such a request, must exhaust "all the internal remedies available to her/him pursuant to the statutes or regulations of the sports body concerned."
As per Sports Tak, Vinesh's lawyers will argue on these points
- They are arguing that she did not commit any fraud.
- Her weight gain was due to the body’s natural recovery process.
- They are arguing it is the athletes’ fundamental right to look after her body.
- they will argue 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.
Vinesh Phogat's lawyers
Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim, and Charles Amson are the names of the four lawyers who will be addressing Vinesh Phogat at the CAS hearing. They are pro bono lawyers with the Paris Bar for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
When will judge announce their verdict?
"The verdict may come tomorrow. But incase the judge feels he/she needs to hear more then there can be another date given. But in most CAS cases the verdict comes on the same day" added the source.
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