The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Friday, August 9, that a decision on Vinesh Phogat's appeal regarding her disqualification from the women’s 50 kg wrestling final at the Paris 2024 Olympics is expected before the Games end. Vinesh was disqualified on August 7 after exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams during the pre-final weigh-in, a ruling that led her to announce her retirement from the sport.
Despite the disqualification, Vinesh filed an appeal to the CAS, seeking joint recognition as a silver medalist. The appeal was accepted on August 8, and the hearing is now underway.
CAS has appointed Dr. Annabelle Bennett as the sole arbitrator to oversee the case. The official statement from CAS outlined the timeline of events: “An application was filed with the CAS Ad hoc Division at 16:45 CEST on August 7, 2024, by Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat regarding the decision by United World Wrestling (UWW) to replace her due to a failed weigh-in ahead of the gold medal match in the Women’s Freestyle 50kg competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics."
Initially, Vinesh sought to overturn the decision and requested a new weigh-in before the final, but this request was not granted in time. The CAS has now shifted focus to Vinesh’s request for the annulment of the disqualification and for her to be recognized with a shared silver medal. The final decision is anticipated before the conclusion of the Olympics.
Vinesh's journey at the Paris Olympics was remarkable, with victories over Yui Susaki in the opening round and Oksana Livach and Yusneylys Guzman in subsequent matches. However, her Olympic dreams were cut short when she was disqualified before the final against Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA. Following this, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling.