After the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected Vinesh Phogat’s appeal for the silver medal in the women’s 50kg event at the Paris Olympics, her uncle, Mahavir Phogat, announced that they will welcome her like a gold medalist upon her return to India on August 17.
On Wednesday, CAS confirmed that “The application filed by Vinesh Phogat on August 7 has been dismissed.”
Speaking to ANI, Mahavir Phogat stated, “We were hopeful that the verdict will be in our favour but there is no scope for anything after the verdict given by the CAS. When Vinesh returns on the 17th, we will welcome her like a Gold Medalist. We will try to persuade her to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. We will also prepare Sangeeta Phogat and Ritu Phogat for the 2028 Olympics.”
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) reported that the verdict was originally scheduled for Tuesday, August 13 at 9:30 pm IST but was delayed to August 16. The decision was announced on Wednesday.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women’s 50kg final on August 7 for exceeding the 50kg weight limit by 100 grams during the weigh-in. She was set to compete against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal. Following her disqualification, Vinesh appealed to be awarded the silver medal in the 50kg weight category.
On August 8, Vinesh Phogat announced her decision to retire from wrestling in an emotional post: “Maa kushti (wrestling) won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all for forgiveness.”
Sarah Ann Hildebrandt ultimately secured the gold medal in the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling by defeating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Newsx staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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