Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic Disqualification Appeal: CAS Decision Set for August 16, 2024

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has to wait for a decision on Vinesh Phogat’s petition. The decision will be announced on August 16 at 9:30 PM IST. This is the third time that the Sports Court has asked for an extension of time on the matter. Vinesh Phogat came to the International Court of Sports questioning his disqualification from the Olympics in Paris. Vinesh Phogat’s request was to give a silver medal in the women’s 50 kg category.

Vinesh Phogat and the Indian Olympic Association had filed an appeal against the decision of the International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling.

“By applying Article 18 of the CAS Arbitration Rules for the Olympic Games, the deadline for the CAS Ad Hoc Section President’s Panel to make a decision has been extended to 6:00 pm (Paris time) on August 16, 2024. Ad Hoc Section of CAS said.

What was Vinesh’s claim?

In his appeal, Vinesh had first asked the ad-hoc bench of the Sports Court to allow him to compete in the final, seeking to overturn the disqualification imposed by the International Olympic Committee involved to reverse.

They did not call for immediate interim measures. The CAS ad-hoc bench had also delivered a quick decision. But even the parties could not be heard before the final which was scheduled for Thursday night.

Then Vinesh said in his plea that the disqualification should be withdrawn and he should be given a complementary coin. Meanwhile, United World Wrestling chief Nenad Lalovich said in an interview to India Today that all the rules were followed before disqualifying Vinesh.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vinesh losing weight on the last day amid questions from social media. PT Usha, head of the Indian Olympic Association, came out in defense of Dinsho Pardiwala. Usha said it is the responsibility of the players and coaches to maintain proper weight.

At the same time, the question was raised whether two days of weight lifting at the Olympic Games were also justified. American wrestler Jordan Burroughs has asked United World Wrestling to reconsider its rules and allow him a 1kg weight allowance to weigh in on the second day. He also argued that both semi-finalists should be awarded Olympic medals instead of a repeat format that provides lifelines for wrestlers who lose to finalists.