CAS details verdict on Vinesh Phogat appeal: Responsibility for weight compliance falls on athlete

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Aug 19, 2024, 9:28 PM IST

On August 14, an ad-hoc division of CAS dismissed Phogat's appeal, which aimed to overturn her disqualification from the women's 50kg freestyle final. The decision sparked a strong reaction from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which had hoped for a different outcome.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that athletes must strictly adhere to weight limits, with no exceptions permissible under any circumstances. This decision came as CAS released a detailed verdict on Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal, which was rejected following her disqualification from the Paris Olympics final due to being 100 grams overweight.

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In its detailed ruling published on Monday (August 20), CAS elaborated on why Phogat's appeal was denied.

"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," the court said in its statement. "It does not even allow for the weight of the singlet. It is clearly up to an athlete to ensure that they remain below that limit," it further said.

The CAS report highlighted that Phogat had exceeded the weight limit, which she admitted during the hearing. Her argument that the excess of 100 grams could be attributed to factors such as water retention or menstruation was deemed insufficient.

"Her case is that the amount of excess was 100g and that a tolerance should apply as this is a small excess and explicable for reasons such as drinking water and water retention, in particular during the pre-menstrual phase," CAS noted.

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The appeal was considered after three postponements, and Vinesh Phogat had sought a joint silver medal with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who advanced to the final due to Phogat's disqualification. American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt claimed the gold.

Phogat's disqualification took place on the morning of the final, and the strict adherence to weight limits was stated in CAS's ruling. "There is no dispute that the Applicant was above the weight limit," the court reiterated, stressing the lack of leeway in weight regulations.

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