Vinesh Phogat's appeal against Olympic disqualification rejected by CAS: IOA

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against her disqualification from Olympic Games final has been rejected by the ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the IOA said on Wednesday and lashed out at “inhumane regulations” that fail to consider the “physiological and psychological stresses faced by athletes”.

The 29-year-old Vinesh was disqualified for being 100gm overweight at the time of the weigh-in on the morning of the women’s 50kg freestyle final last week.

In a statement, IOA President PT Usha expressed “shock and disappointment at the decision of the Sole Arbitrator at the CAS to dismiss wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s application against the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).” “The operative part of the August 14 decision, which dismisses Vinesh’s application to be awarded a shared silver medal in women’s 50 kg category at the Paris Olympic Games has significant implications for her in particular and the sporting community at large,” the IOA stated.

The rejection of Vinesh’s appeal means India’s tally from the Paris Olympics will be of six medals which includes one silver and five bronze.

Crestfallen after her disqualification, Vinesh, in an emotional social media post, announced her retirement from the sport. The IOA lambasted the ambiguous rules in international wrestling and their interpretations.

“The marginal discrepancy of a 100 grams and the resultant consequences has profound impact, not only in terms of Vinesh’s career but also raises serious questions about ambiguous rules and their interpretation,” the IOA statement said.

IOA statement

“The IOA firmly believes that the total disqualification of an athlete for such a weight infraction on the second of two days warrants a deeper examination.

“The matter involving Vinesh highlights the stringent and, arguably, inhumane regulations that fail to account for the physiological and psychological stresses athletes, particularly female athletes, undergo,” it added.

The IOA said the ruling is a “stark reminder” of the need for more equitable and reasonable standards that prioritise athletes’ well-being.

The overwhelming opinion has been sympathetic towards Vinesh but a lot of powerful voices like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) head Thomas Bach and UWW head Nenad Lalovic have also stated that rules cannot be bent as such relaxations can have wider ramifications.