REVEALED! What Vinesh Phogat’s Lawyers Said In Defence Of Her Silver Medal Appeal Before CAS
Photo : PTI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Vinesh Phogat was found 100g overweight on the morning of her gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics 2024 and was disqualified.
- She had appealed to the CAS for a joint silver medal and that was rejected.
- What the lawyers said in her defence has now come to light.
Vinesh Phogat and millions of her well-wishers in India received the most heartbreaking news on August 14, when her plea for a joint-silver medal was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The star Indian wrestler was disqualified on the day of her gold medal bout of the 50kg women’s wrestling category of the Paris Olympics 2024 for being 100g overweight. Now, according to reports, the argument that the lawyers made in Vinesh’s defence has now come to light.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the lawyers of Vinesh Phogat said that the excess of 100g, which is 0.1-0.2% of their body weight is negligible and can easily be caused by bloating during summer. It can also be inferred that the muscle mass increased due to the wrestler competing in three matches on that day. This could also have been caused by the food consumption that demanded for the health and well-being of a competition like the Olympics.
“The excess of 100g is extremely negligible (representing around 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the athlete’s weight) and can easily be caused by the bloating of a human body during summer weather, as the heat makes the human body retain more water, scientifically for survival purposes. It can also be due to muscle mass increase as the athlete competed three times on the same day. It can also be caused by the food consumption of the athlete after the competitions to sustain her health and integrity for the demanding competitions,” the lawyers argued.
“There would be a manifest disproportion between the level of excess (which excludes any attempt at fraud or manipulation of the athlete) and the irreversible consequences that would result from her non-participation in the finals in addition to the deprivation of her silver medal that was acquired by hard work,” they added.
In spite of these telling arguments, CAS has dismissed Vinesh Phogat’s appeal. Notably, the star 29-year-old wrestler from Haryana was represented by Vidushpat Singhania and former Solicitor General of India Harish Salve.