Sachin Tendulkar demands olympic silver medal for Vinesh Phogat: ‘Robbed of a deserving victory’

PTC News Desk: Sachin Tendulkar, the cricket icon, has urged that Vinesh Phogat be awarded a silver medal after she was disqualified from the 50kg category final due to her weight. After making an incredible run to the championship round, Vinesh declared her retirement from the sport and filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS). On August 8, the plea process was approved, and the hearing is still going on.

#VineshPhogat #Paris2024 #Olympics @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/LKL4mFlLQq

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 9, 2024

In a statement published on his official X account, Tendulkar said that Vinesh had earned a medal and had qualified for the finals in a fair manner. According to the legendary cricket player, it would have been reasonable to disqualify the wrestler for any wrongdoing, such as employing performance-enhancing drugs. As he concluded, Tendulkar expressed his hope that Vinesh will receive the credit she so richly deserves.

Each sport has regulations that must be understood in its entirety and perhaps even reviewed from time to time. Vinesh Phogat easily qualified for the finals. Her weight disqualification occurred before to the finals, so it defies common sense and logic in sports to deny her a rightful silver medal.”

If an athlete had been banned for moral transgressions like using performance-enhancing drugs, that would have made sense. It would thus be OK to finish last and not receive a medal. But Vinesh advanced to the final two by convincingly defeating her rivals. Without a doubt, she merits 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,” Tendulkar added.

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Vinesh’s appeal verdict likely before Olympics end

On Friday, August 9, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) announced that the ruling on Vinesh Phogat’s appeal over her disqualification from the women’s 50 kg category final would be released prior to the conclusion of the current Paris Olympics 2024.

The most recent update indicates that the procedure is still proceeding and that Dr. Annabelle Bennett, the lone arbitrator, has been tasked with handling the case.

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