Sachin Tendulkar Says Vinesh Phogat 'Robbed Of A Deserving Silver', Wants Olympic Medal For Wrestler

Sachin Tendulkar has come out in support of Vinesh Phogat and demanded that she be awarded an Olympic medal.

Vinesh Phogat has received the backing of Sachin Tendulkar.

Source : PTI

In a decision that broke over a billion hearts in India, wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Women's 50 kg freestyle wrestling for being overweight by 100 grams. While she had won her first two bouts convincingly, assuring the country of a silver medal, at the time of weigh in on the day of the final, she was barred from featuring in the gold medal bout.

While she has formally appealed at the Court of Arbitration For Sports (CAS) and demanded that she be given a joint-silver, India's cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also wants Vinesh Phogat to be given a silver. He reasoned that Vinesh had qualified for the final in a fair manner and hence deserves the second place.

"Every sport has rules and those rules need to be seen in context, maybe even revisited at times. Vinesh Phogat qualified fair and square for the finals. Her disqualification by weight, was before the finals, and hence, for her to be robbed of a deserving silver medal defies logic and sporting sense," Tendulkar wrote  in a post on social media.

"It would have been understandable if an athlete were to have been disqualified for ethical breaches such as the usage of performance enhancing drugs. In that case, to not be awarded any medal and be placed last would be justifiable. However, Vinesh beat her opponents fairly to reach the top two. She definitely deserves a silver medal," he added.

#VineshPhogat #Paris2024 #Olympics @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/LKL4mFlLQq

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 9, 2024

"While we all wait for a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, let us hope and pray that Vinesh gets the recognition she deserves," he said.

Harish Salve Representing Vinesh Phogat In This Case

Meanwhile, the country's top lawyer Harish Salve is representing Vinesh Phogat in this case. The CAS has said that the decision on Vinesh's plea against her disqualification will be taken before the end of the Paris Olympic Games 2024 which concludes on August 11.