As we all know, Indian wrestling star Vinesh Phogat is challenging her heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris Olympics women’s 50kg category final match. Found 100 grams overweight on the day of the final, she was barred from competing, that denied a certain medal for India. Now, she and Team India are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a joint silver medal.
Phogat to challenge for Silver Medal?
Vinesh Phogat is locked in a high-stakes legal battle. The (slight) weight gain, which occurred following the opening day of bouts, has been attributed to the body’s natural recovery process by Phogat’s team. Led by renowned lawyers Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania, India’s argument centers on the claim that Phogat did not commit fraud and that athletes have the fundamental right to care for their bodies. They contend that since Phogat was under the weight limit on the first day, the subsequent weight gain is a natural process and not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules.
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The CAS, under the stewardship of Sole Arbitrator Dr. Annabelle Bennett, will now weigh the evidence and determine whether Phogat’s disqualification was justified. “The Sole Arbitrator’s decision is expected to be issued before the end of the Olympic Games,” according to the CAS.
CAS is a separate organization that was founded in 1984 with the goal of assisting in the arbitration or mediation of conflicts pertaining to sports. Its main office is in Lausanne, Switzerland, and it maintains courts in Sydney and New York City in addition to temporary ones established in Olympic host cities.
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