Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has requested the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to award her a shared silver medal after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics final for failing to meet the weight limit.
Amid this, Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar came forward to support the stance of Vinesh getting a medal. He said that Vinesh definitely deserves a silver medal.
Sharing this on X, he wrote, “Every sport has rules, and those rules need to be seen in context, maybe even revisited at times. Vinesh Phogat qualified fair and square for the finals. Her disqualification by weight was before the finals and hence, for her to be robbed of a deserving silver medal defies logic and sporting sense.
It would have been understandable if an athlete were to have been disqualified for ethical breaches such as the usage of performance enhancing drugs. In that case, to not be awarded any medal and be placed last would be justifiable. However, Vinesh beat her opponents fairly to reach the two. She definitely deserves a silver medal.
While we all wait for a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, let us hope and pray that Vinesh gets the recognition she deserves.”
#VineshPhogat #Paris2024 #Olympics @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/LKL4mFlLQq
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 9, 2024
The Hearing:
A Paris judge will hear Phogat’s appeal on Friday, according to CAS. The court has indicated that a decision is expected before the end of the Olympic Games, which concludes on Sunday, by which time medals in Phogat’s weight category have already been awarded.
Phogat narrowly missed the weight limit for the 50 kg final on Wednesday, which also meant she could not win any medal. She filed her appeal on Wednesday, seeking a new weigh-in and permission to compete in the final, but there was insufficient time for a hearing.
Phogat had previously defeated defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan and won her quarterfinal and semifinal matches to reach the final. She announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday.
