Olympics 2024: CAS rejects Vinesh's application for a joint Silver medal

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s application for a joint silver medal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday. The verdict, which was scheduled to come on August 13, was deferred to August 16 by CAS.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, PT Usha, expressed her shock and disappointment at the decision of the sole arbitrator at CAS to dismiss wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s application against United World Wrestling (UWW) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Vinesh appealed against her disqualification from the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling event gold medal bout on August 7, after being found 100 grams over the weight limit. In her apeal, she asked for a joint silver medal alongside Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman, whom Vinesh defeated in the semifinals and who replaced her in the gold medal bout after the Indian wrestler’s disqualification.

In her appeal, Vinesh mentioned that the weight limit difference was negligible and would not have given the wrestler any additional advantage. She also cited the long distance between the Olympic Games Village and the match arena as one of the reasons behind her not getting enough time to shed the required weight.