The Court of Arbitration of Sports deferred the verdict on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification case for a third time, stating that the decision will be announced on August 16, by 9:30pm IST. Track the timeline of the Indian wrestler's case here
The Paris Olympics have concluded, but Vinesh Phogat's pursuit of a medal at the 2024 Games continues. The Court of Arbitration of Sports has stated that the decision on her appeal will be announced today, August 13. And the nation awaits the verdict to see whether 'justice' was served to Vinesh. Stay with us for live updates on the case. (Medal Table | Full Coverage | More Sports News)
Though the CAS has not provided a definite time for when the verdict will be made public, Vinesh Phogat's advocate Vidushpat Singhania has told ANI that the verdict is "expected by 9.30 pm tonight". The advocate added: "Vinesh was represented by four lawyers. She is the applicant and United World Wrestling (UWW) and International Olympic Committee are the respondents and Indian Olympic Association is an interested party. We hope the decision will come in Vinesh's favour..."
CAS has two temporary offices in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games. One of them is the CAS ad-hoc division. Its role is to resolve any legal disputes that arise during the Summer Games.
The ad-hoc division comprises the following:
President: Michael Lenard, USA
Co-president: Elisabeth Steiner, Austria
Co-president: Carole Malinvaud, France
Just a couple of days before the CAS verdict announcement, Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha came out with a statement that put the responsibility of weight management entirely on the wrestlers and their coaches, adding that the IOA-appointed chief medical officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team were not to blame for it.
"...the hate directed at the IOA medical team, especially Dr. Pardiwala, is unacceptable and worthy of condemnation," the statement added.
Paris Olympics silver medallist Neeraj Chopra has gone on record to say that he hopes "people do not forget" what Vinesh Phogat did for the country, even if the CAS verdict does not go in her favour. The javelin throw superstar added: "If she gets the medal, it would be very good. If things had not panned out the way they did, she would have had the medal. I hope she gets it because if you don't have it around your neck, that thing stays in your heart."
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar earlier sprang to Vinesh's support, saying that the rules that saw Vinesh being disqualified defied logic and sporting sense. In a post on social media, Tendulkar wrote: “Time for an Umpire’s Call! Every sport has rules and those rules need to be seen in context, maybe even revisited at times. Vinesh Phogat qualified fair and square for the finals. Her disqualification by weight, was before the finals, and hence, for her to be robbed of a deserving silver medal defies logic and sporting sense. It would have been understandable if an athlete were to have been disqualified for ethical breaches such as the usage of performance-enhancing drugs. In that case, to not be awarded any medal and be placed last would be justifiable."
Rei Higuchi, the Japanese 57kg freestyle wrestling champion at Paris 2024, has come forward to lend his support to Vinesh Phogat. Higuchi posted a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “I understand your pain the best. same 50g. Don’t worry about the voices around you. Life goes on. Rising from setbacks is the most beautiful thing. Take a good rest.”
Senior counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania are spearheading Vinesh’s case. Her legal team also has French lawyers Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim and Charles Amson, who helped her and the Indian Olympic Association during the filing of the application.
While Vinesh Phogat's 100-gram heartbreak saddened the entire nation, hers was not the only 'overweight' case at the Olympics. Italy’s Emanuela Liuzzi, Algeria’s Messaoud Redouane and USA's J'den Cox faced a similar fate at Paris 2024. Read our report here to know all about it.
We have news coming in that the CAS verdict on Vinesh Phogat's case has been deferred again, this time till August 16.
While deferring the verdict till August 16, 9:30pm IST, a statement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) says: "By application of Article 18 of the CAS Arbitration Rules for the Olympic Games, the President of the CAS Ad Hoc Division extends the time-limit for the Panel to give a decision until 16 August 2024 at 18h00 (Paris time)."
The CAS has cited the application of Article 18 from its rulebook while postponing the verdict. Here's what the Article 18 of the CAS arbitration rules for the Olympic Games says regarding time limit:
"The Panel shall give a decision within 24 hours of the lodging of the application. In exceptional cases, this time limit may be extended by the President of the ad hoc Division if circumstances so require."
India's first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has put out a thought-provoking tweet in the wake of the CAS verdict deferment. "We’ve all felt that frustration when something important gets delayed, and today, many of us are feeling that as we wait for Vinesh Phogat’s CAS judgment. But here’s a thought—this is kind of like what athletes go through every four years, waiting for another shot at Olympic glory. The nerves, the anticipation, the “just get here already!” feeling—we’ve all been there, right?" Bindra's post on X (formerly Twitter) reads.
"Sport isn’t just about what happens on the field - it’s about the waiting, the patience, and the persistence to keep going, no matter what. So while we wait for August 16th, let’s remember what our athletes endure and cheer them on, knowing they’re playing the longest game of them all," it adds.