Star Indian grappler Vinesh Phogat may gain an advantage from a UWW rule 'loophole' during her case hearing at Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The final verdict on Vinesh's disqualification case is expected today. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has presented Vinesh Phogat's side, and now the focus shifts to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The key question is whether CAS will rule in Vinesh's favor or if the Indian grappler will remain without a medal.
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The 29-year-old wrestler was disqualified on the morning of her gold medal bout against USA's Sarah Hildebrandt in Women's 50Kg Wrestling after being found 100 grams overweight.
Initially, it was thought that Vinesh might be awarded a silver medal. However, according to United World Wrestling (UWW) rules, a disqualification results in all previous wins being nullified, placing her last in the draw.
The star Indian grappler filed an appeal on August 7, requesting a joint silver medal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), today, will issue its official and final verdict.
Major UWW Rulebook Loophole Could Benefit Vinesh Phogat
A significant loophole in the UWW rulebook could potentially work in Vinesh Phogat's favor. The Indian wrestler, who was 100 grams overweight, could not be granted an exception under UWW rules, leading to her disqualification and leaving her without a medal.
A loophole in the UWW rules has been exposed, which states that a wrestler who reaches the repechage after being defeated by a finalist is eligible to compete in the bronze medal match. According to UWW rules, "the person who claims the repechage is the one who loses to the finalist."
In the 50 kg freestyle wrestling event, Yui Susaki of Japan was given the opportunity to compete in the bronze medal match. According to the rules, Yui Susaki should not have been allowed to participate in the repechage.
Since Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the finals (gold medal match) and Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (whom Vinesh had defeated 5-0 in the semifinal) replaced the Indian, the wrestler who lost to Guzman in the semifinal should ideally have had the opportunity to compete in the repechage (bronze medal match) and not Japan's Yui Susaki.
As per the rules, Yui Susaki shouldn't have been allowed to compete in the repechage round. It will be crucial to see how the Indian camp addresses the issue during the final CAS hearing. The decision on the case is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday at around 9:30 PM IST (6:00 PM Paris time).