Paris Olympics: The entire nation is waiting with bated breath for the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) final verdict on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from Paris Olympics 2024. Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women's 50kg wrestling final after being found 100 grams overweight. In her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Phogat requested the award of a silver medal.
Vinesh Phogat Awaits CAS Verdict
Sports Tak has learnt that Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the women's 50kg wrestling final has concluded, with the final decision expected to be announced today (August 9) or tomorrow (August 10). Earlier, CAS had confirmed that the verdict will be delivered before the end of the Paris Olympics on August 11. All parties involved are awaiting the final ruling on this highly publicized case. However, it seems unlikely that there will be anymore deliberation in the case, reports Rahul Rawat from Paris.
Vinesh's case was basically fought on these three key points:
-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.
A team of four lawyers, Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim, and Charles Amson, represented Vinesh at the hearing. These lawyers, associated with the Paris Bar, are providing their services pro bono for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Meanwhile, recently IOC President Thomas Bach addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding Indian wrestler's disqualification from the Paris Olympics. While expressing sympathy for Phogat's situation, Bach firmly ruled out the possibility of awarding two silver medals in the same weight category. He emphasised the importance of adhering to the established rules and regulations governing the sport.
"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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