No Olympic medal for Vinesh Phogat, wrestler’s appeal against disqualification dismissed

India will not win its 7th medal at the Paris Olympics as the Court of Arbitration for Sports denied Vinesh Phogat’s appeal for a shared silver medal.

The CAS released its operative verdict on Wednesday, 14 August, where it decided to uphold the decision of the International Olympic Committee. The Sports court is known for its strict application of the rules and regulations of the relevant sports federations, associations, or leagues. After this decision, Vinesh not only was not able to win silver but finished last in her category.

The CAS had delayed their verdict for the third time on Tuesday, 13 August on the Vinesh matter. The wrestler had earlier appealed for a joint silver medal in the Paris Olympics after she was dismissed on the day of her gold medal match. Vinesh had weighed in at 50.100 kgs, which was 100 grams over the weight limit for her final bout. The Indian Olympic Association reacted to the court’s decision with disappointment and said that it would be seeking legal recourse on the Vinesh matter.

“The application filed at the CAS Ad hoc Division by Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat (the Applicant) in relation to the decision taken by United World Wrestling (UWW) to replace her, because of her failed second weigh-in, before the gold medal match of the Women’s Freestyle 50kg competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has been dismissed. Consequently, the UWW decision is confirmed,” said CAS in a statement.

“The Applicant sought a ruling from the CAS awarding her a (shared) silver medal for the Women’s Freestyle 50kg competition. The matter was referred to the Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC (AUS), sitting as a Sole Arbitrator, who held a hearing with the parties on 9 August 2024. The full award with reasons will be notified to the parties, and published on the CAS website, as soon as it is available,” the court added.

IOA president PT Usha expressed her shock and disappointment at the decision of the Sole Arbitrator at the CAS. to dismiss wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s application against the United World Wrestling and the International Olympic Committee.

“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. The matter involving Vinesh highlights the stringent and, arguably, inhumane regulations that fail to account for the physiological and psychological stresses athletes, particularly female athletes, undergo. It is a stark reminder of the need for more equitable and reasonable standards that prioritize athletes’ well-being,” PT Usha’s statement said.

Notably, the Sole Arbitrator of the ad-hod division of the CAS, Dr Annabelle Bennett, extended the deadline for the announcement multiple times, allowing both parties — applicant Vinesh Phogat, the respondents United World Wrestling and the International Olympic Committee, as well as Indian Olympic Association as an interested party — to submit more evidence and proofs, backing their arguments.

Dr. Annbelelle heard the arguments of both parties in a hearing that lasted three hours on August 9 after registering Vinesh Phogat’s appeal a day earlier. While the initial appeal was filed by French pro-bono lawyers for Vinesh, the IOA roped in senior counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania to represent the wrestler at the hearing.

The lawyers argued the weight gain on Tuesday evening was due to the body’s natural recovery process and that it is the athlete’s fundamental right to look after his/her body. They argued her body weight was under the prescribed limit on Day 1 of the competition, and the weight gain only happened because of recovery and that’s not a fraud.

Vinesh was disqualified from her women’s 50kg gold medal match after failing a weigh-in ahead of the final. Vinesh was found 100 grams overweight on the second day of the weigh-in. Vinesh had cleared the weigh-in on the opening day of the event and went on to win three matches and reach the final. One of those three victories included a sensational upset of Yui Susaki, the Japanese wrestler, who had an 82-0 international record until facing the Indian on the mat on Tuesday.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) disqualified Vinesh Phogat and allowed Cuba’s Guzman Uzneylys, who lost to the Indian in the semi-final, to compete in the gold medal bout against USA’s Sarah Ann Hilderbrant on August 7.

WHAT WAS VINESH’S APPEAL?
Vinesh, in her appeal, had initially requested the ad-hoc bench of the CAS to nullify the IOC’s disqualification have another weigh-in and allow her to compete in the final. However, she did not request urgent interim measures. The ad-hoc bench of the CAS delivered its verdict fast, but it was not able to even hear the parties before the final, which was scheduled on Thursday evening.

Vinesh then made it clear in her appeal that she wanted the disqualification to be reversed and she be awarded a joint silver medal. However, the United World Wrestling chief Nenad Lalovic, in an interview with India Today, said he empathised with Vinesh but insisted that rules were adhered to before it disqualified the Indian wrestler.

Even as the verdict was delayed, IOA chief PT Usha defended Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala amid scrutiny from social media after Vinesh missed the weight on the day of her final. Usha said it was the responsibility of the athlete and her coaches to work and make the weight.

Questions were, meanwhile, asked about the fairness of two-day weigh-ins at the Olympic Games. American wrestling great Jordan Burroughs urged United World Wrestling to rethink its rules and allow a 1kg weight allowance for the weigh-in on the second day. He also argued that both semi-finalists should be awarded Olympic medals instead of having a repechage format that offers lifelines to wrestlers who lost to eventual finalists.