CAS rejects Vinesh Phogat’s appeal, cites ‘no tolerance’ policy
PTC News Desk: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld its decision to reject Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal, citing a strict adherence to weight limit regulations. The CAS ruled that no exceptions can be made for athletes who exceed their weight limit, regardless of the circumstances.
On August 14, an ad-hoc division of the CAS denied Vinesh Phogat’s appeal following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics final for being 100 grams overweight. This ruling provoked a strong reaction from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). On Monday, CAS released a detailed explanation for why Vinesh’s appeal was rejected.
According to the CAS, “The problem for the Athlete is that the Rules are clear as to the weight limit and are the same for all participants. There is no tolerance provided for—it is an upper limit. It does not even account for the weight of the singlet. It is clearly up to an athlete to ensure that they remain below that limit.”
The court noted that Vinesh Phogat was indeed above the weight limit, as she admitted during the hearing. Her appeal argued that the excess of 100 grams was minor and could be attributed to factors such as water retention or the weight of water consumed, especially during the pre-menstrual phase.
Phogat, 29, was disqualified on the morning of the women’s 50kg freestyle final. The decision on her appeal was delayed three times before the final ruling was issued.
In her appeal, Vinesh requested to be awarded a joint silver medal with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who had lost to her in the semifinals but advanced to the final following Vinesh’s disqualification. The gold medal in that category was won by American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
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