The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has extended the ruling on Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal for a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. The ruling, which was initially anticipated before the end of the games, has, however, been shifted to August 16.
Vinesh’s counsel said, “The excess of 100g is extremely negligible (representing around 0.1 to 0.2 per cent of the athlete's weight) and can easily be caused by the bloating of a human body during summer weather, as the heat makes the human body retain more water, scientifically for survival purposes. It can also be due to muscle mass increase as the athlete competed three times on the same day. It can also be caused by the food consumption of the athlete after the competitions to sustain her health and integrity for the demanding competitions.”
He further stated, “There would be a manifest disproportion between the level of excess (which excludes any attempt at fraud or manipulation of the athlete) and the irreversible consequences that would result from her non-participation in the finals in addition to the deprivation of her silver medal that was acquired by hard work.”
Despite the delay, legal professionals agree with the view that frequent CAS delays may turn into an advantage for Phogat. Advocate Vidushpat Singhania, who argued the case for the Phogat, said he was confident, adding that the amount of time being given to the matter shows that the arbitrator cares about it.
“The fact that they have extended the verdict deadline more than once means they are thinking about his matter seriously. If the Arbitrator madam is thinking about it, it’s good for us,” Singhania said.
Nevertheless, the verdict, if given in Phogat’s favour, has the potential to assume greater significance. It could alter the way wrestling would be played in the next Olympics, since the court has to consider the possible consequences of granting a joint silver medal despite the weight limit breach.
