Paris. Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against being disqualified before the Olympic final has been rejected by the Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) gave this information on Wednesday and criticized the ‘inhumane rules’ which fail to understand the ‘psychological and physical stress’ of the players. 29-year-old Vinesh was disqualified before the final of the women’s 50 kg freestyle wrestling last week because her weight was 100 grams more than the prescribed limit.
In a statement, IOA president P T Usha said, “I am shocked and disappointed by the decision of the sole arbitrator of the tribunal of sports on wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against United World Wrestling and the International Olympic Committee.” She said, “The effective part of the August 14 decision rejecting Vinesh’s application for a shared silver medal in the women’s 50kg category at the Paris Olympic Games has significant implications for her in particular and for the sports community at large.” This decision means that India will have only six medals at the Paris Olympics, including one silver and five bronze.
After being disqualified, a shattered Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling through social media. The IOA has strongly criticized the ambiguous rules and their interpretations in international wrestling. The IOA said in a statement, “A minor discrepancy of 100 grams and its result has a profound impact, not only in terms of Vinesh’s career, but also raises serious questions about ambiguous rules and their interpretation.”
It further said, “The IOA believes that the matter of declaring a player completely ineligible for such a minor discrepancy in weight on the second day of two days needs a deep review.” It said, “Vinesh’s case shows that strict and inhuman rules fail to understand the physical and psychological stresses of players, especially women players.” The IOA said that this decision is a “strong reminder” of the need for more equitable and fair standards that prioritize the well-being of athletes. Although there was sympathy in favor of Vinesh in this case, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach and UWW chief Nenad Lalovic had said that the rules could not be changed because giving such relaxation would have wide-reaching consequences.