The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has accepted the appeal against Vinesh Phogat's disqualification. Initially, Phogat appealed to be allowed to compete in the gold medal match in the womens 50kg weight category, but this request was denied as America’s Sarah Hildebrandt had already won.
In her second appeal, Vinesh requested CAS to declare her a joint-silver medalist, which may be granted. The CAS will review her appeal, and she could potentially return to India with a medal.
Vinesh Phogat's appeal hearing will be conducted online. Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim, and Charles Amson, pro bono lawyers with the Paris Bar for the Paris 2024 Olympics, will represent her at the CAS hearing.
If Vinesh wins the appeal, she will be awarded a joint-silver medal. If she loses, the disqualification will stand, and she will finish in last place.
The star Indian grappler was having a stellar run at the Paris Olympics, having switched from the 53kg to the 50kg weight category just five months ago.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from her gold medal match in the women's 50kg weight category for being 100 grams overweight on the day of her bout. As a result, Yusneylys Guzmán, whom Phogat had defeated in the semifinal, advanced to the final and ultimately lost to America’s Sarah Hildebrandt.
Vinesh Phogat Announces Retirement From Wrestling After Olympics Disqualification
A day after her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling on X. She had made history as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the finals in women's wrestling at the Olympics.
Phogat was favored to win a historic gold medal and was assured of at least a silver before the disqualification. However, being disqualified due to weight meant that none of her earlier victories counted, and she returned home without a medal.