Paris: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s hopes of securing a belated Olympic silver medal had been dashed on Wednesday when the ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected her enchantment towards a gut-wrenching disqualification from the ultimate for being 100gm chubby, a call that evoked a pointy response from the IOA.The 29-year-old Vinesh was disqualified on the morning of the ladies’s 50kg freestyle closing final week.

Despite asserting an extension of deadline until August 16 to announce the decision, the choice towards the star grappler got here out this night and it was a terse one-line assertion.

“The Ad-Hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) renders the following decision: The application filed by Vinesh Phogat on 7th August, 2024 is dismissed,” the CAS order learn.

In her enchantment, Vinesh had demanded that she be given a joint silver with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who misplaced to her within the semifinals however was promoted to the summit conflict following the Indian’s disqualification. The gold was claimed by American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.

In a press release, IOA President PT Usha expressed “shock and disappointment” on the flip of occasions. The physique additionally lashed out on the “inhumane regulations” of United World Wrestling (UWW) that fail to contemplate the “physiological and psychological stresses faced by athletes”.

Vinesh is because of return to India from Paris on Saturday, in accordance with her wrestling colleague and Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist Bajrang Punia. The IOA mentioned it should proceed to discover authorized choices however at this level, the matter appears closed.

“The operative part of the August 14 decision, which dismisses Vinesh’s application to be awarded a shared silver medal in women’s 50 kg category at the Paris Olympic Games has significant implications for her in particular and the sporting community at large,” the IOA acknowledged.

“IOA continues to stand in full support of Ms. Phogat and is exploring further legal options. The IOA is committed to ensuring that Vinesh’s case is heard,” it added.

The rejection of Vinesh’s enchantment means India’s tally from the Paris Olympics shall be of six medals which incorporates one silver and 5 bronze.

The Haryana grappler, who was making her third olympic look, had reduce her hair, gone with out meals and water and spent a complete evening understanding to remain inside the prescribed weight restrict however even excessive measures couldn’t save her from being disqualified.

She filed an enchantment in CAS a day later however crestfallen by the setback, Vinesh, in an emotional social media put up, additionally introduced her retirement from the game quickly after.

“The marginal discrepancy of a 100 grams and the resultant consequences has profound impact, not only in terms of Vinesh’s career but also raises serious questions about ambiguous rules and their interpretation,” the IOA assertion mentioned.

“The IOA firmly believes that the entire disqualification of an athlete for such a weight infraction on the second of two days warrants a deeper examination.

“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 added.

The IOA mentioned the ruling is a “stark reminder” of the necessity for extra equitable and cheap requirements that prioritise athletes’ well-being.
The overwhelming opinion was sympathetic in the direction of Vinesh. Top fellow athletes like javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, hockey star P R Sreejesh and even cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar threw their weight behind her and advocated a silver medal for her.

However, loads of highly effective voices just like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) head Thomas Bach and UWW head Nenad Lalovic additionally acknowledged that guidelines can’t be bent as such relaxations can have wider ramifications.

Is it doable to enchantment towards a CAS resolution?

According to its web site, an enchantment is allowed however the process is so stringent that the probabilities of a reduction are just about non-existent.

“Judicial recourse to the Swiss Federal Tribunal is allowed on a very limited number of grounds, such as lack of jurisdiction, violation of elementary procedural rules (eg violation of the right to a fair hearing) or incompatibility with public policy.”

Vinesh’s authorized group featured French legal professionals Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim and Charles Amson who helped her and the IOA through the submitting of the applying. They had been offered to her by the Paris Bar and had been dealing with the case professional bono.

In addition, senior counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania had been additionally roped in to assist her within the case.

The CAS ad-hoc division, arrange particularly for dispute decision through the Games, had accepted Vinesh’s enchantment towards her ouster on Friday final week.