NEW DELHI, Aug 20
The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ad-hoc committee in Paris for the Olympics has released a 24-page document detailing its verdict in wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal.
The Sole Arbitrator assigned to hear Vinesh’s appeal, on August 14, rejected her appeal against disqualification from the women’s 50kg final for being 100gm overweight, a decision that evoked a sharp reaction from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). In its verdict, the CAS reasoned that it is an athlete’s responsibility to stay within the weight-limit and no relief can be provided on that count but termed as “draconian” the consequence of failing the weigh-in on the second day.
Vinesh had sought to share the silver medal with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who advanced to the final after her disqualification. Her appeal argued that the 100g excess should be tolerated due to factors like water retention, especially during the premenstrual phase. However, the CAS rejected all arguments.
“There is no dispute that the Applicant was above the weight limit. She gave the above evidence clearly and directly at the hearing,” the CAS said in the verdict.
“The issue for the Athlete is that the rules clearly state a weight limit, which applies to all participants equally. There is no allowance for exceeding it, even for the weight of the singlet. It is the athlete’s responsibility to remain within the limit.”
According to the document, the athlete competed in three bouts on August 6, during which she was confirmed to be under the 50kg weight limit, with no dispute regarding her eligibility for those matches. The verdict also emphasised that Vinesh is an experienced wrestler and there was no evidence that she did not understand the weight requirements.
“The Applicant is an experienced wrestler who had previously competed under the Rules. There is no evidence to the contrary, or any evidence by the Athlete that she did not understand the weight requirements,” it read.
“The Applicant made detailed submissions in support of her contention that what occurred on August 6 and 7 were two separate competitions. She points to the fact that there are two weigh-ins, one on each day and that each weigh-in has effect for the whole day. She also points out that when all rounds, including the final, are on one day, there is only a single weigh-in. In effect, her submission is that there are as many competitions as there are days over which rounds take place, with weigh-ins for each whole day. This argument is unpersuasive. Elimination from the competition cannot be limited to elimination from the final round of the competition,” it read.
The verdict stated the rules, draconian as they are, make it clear that not only is the wrestler removed from the competition but also ranked last and without a ranking. This makes clear an intention not to apply simply to disqualification from the round for which the weigh-in failed. It also underlined that there was no wrongdoing on Vinesh’s part.
The document also emphasised that the Sole Arbitrator does not have the power to award medals, and it rests with the IOC (International Olympics Committee).
The silver medal and the bronze medals have been awarded and there is no provision in the Rules for the awarding of a second silver medal.
