File photo of Vinesh Phogat at Paris Olympics 2024© AFP
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said that it is an athlete’s responsibility to stay within the weight limit but also called the consequences of failing the weigh-in on the second day ‘draconian’ while giving the reasons for rejecting Vinesh Phogat’s appeal. Vinesh qualified for the 50kg freestyle gold medal match after victories over Yui Susaki, Oksana Livach and Yusneylys Guzman Lopez but the Indian wrestler was disqualified for being overweight. The United World Wrestling (UWW) rules stated that any wrestler who fails to make weight is completely disqualified and her appeal was also rejected by CAS.
“…..the Sole Arbitrator has concluded that the Applicant, of her own free will, entered into the 50 kg wrestling category and well knew that this required her to maintain a weight for competition below 50 kg.”
“Article 7 of the Rules provides, relevantly, that each contestant is deemed to be taking part of her own free will and is responsible for herself and is entitled to compete in only one weight category, the one corresponding to her weight at the time of the official weigh-in,” the detailed CAS order stated.
“The Applicant is an experienced wrestler who had previously competed under the Rules. There is no evidence to the contrary, or any evidence by the Athlete that she did not understand the weight requirements.”
“She voluntarily entered the 50 kg category and, from the evidence, undertook a regime to keep within that weight limit. Her evidence was that she did not have sufficient time to complete a weight loss program, not that she somehow found it interfered with her bodily rights.”
“The consequences of the failed second weigh-in, which do not arise from any illegal or wrongful act on the part of the Applicant are, in the opinion of the Sole Arbitrator, draconian.”
“A consequence of elimination without ranking from the round for which the Athlete was found ineligible, having been eligible for the rounds for which she competed, would seem to be a fairer solution. “
The gold was claimed by American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
(With PTI inputs)
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