Vidushpat Singhania noted that CAS did not provide an explanation for the dismissal. He also mentioned that the decision could be appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days.
Vidushpat Singhania, the advocate representing the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), confirmed that only a “single-line order” had been issued in the case, with no detailed reasoning provided. On Wednesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) released a statement affirming that Vinesh Phogat’s application, filed on August 7, had been dismissed.
Speaking to media, Singhania noted that CAS did not provide an explanation for the dismissal. He also mentioned that the decision could be appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days.
“No detailed order has been issued yet. We have only received a single-line communication stating that her appeal has been rejected. They haven’t explained the reasoning behind the decision or the delay. We were both surprised and disappointed when the ruling came out last evening and her appeal was dismissed. We expect the detailed order to arrive within 10-15 days. Once we receive it, the 30-day appeal period will commence. Harish Salve is advising us, and we will work with him to draft and file an appeal,”
Vidushpat explained.
On August 9, CAS registered Phogat’s application and assigned the case to Dr. Annabelle Bennett, a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia, as the arbitrator. The hearing before Bennett conducted and concluded on the same day.
According to the IOA, the decision was initially expected on Tuesday, August 13, at 9:30 pm IST but was postponed to August 16. The ruling was eventually announced on Wednesday.
Vinesh Phogat had been set to compete against Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal on August 7. However, she was disqualified from the women’s 50kg final for exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams during the weigh-in. Following her disqualification, she appealed for the silver medal to be awarded to her in the 50kg category.
The incident has brought to light the intense and often grueling weight-cutting techniques employed in combat sports. Reports indicate that on the eve of her gold medal match, Vinesh undertook rigorous training to shed the 2.7kg she had gained after her semi-final victory.
Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, India’s Chief Medical Officer, detailed the exhaustive efforts made by Vinesh, which included sessions in the sauna amidst the Paris heat. When these measures proved insufficient, her coaches resorted to trimming her hair and shortening her vest in a desperate attempt to meet the weight criteria. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, they could not reduce her weight to the required 50kg, leading to her disqualification.
The President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), PT Usha, has expressed her shock and disappointment over the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat. Despite Phogat being in good physical and medical condition, Usha conveyed her dissatisfaction with the situation and highlighted the ongoing support Phogat is receiving.
On August 8, Vinesh wrote an emotional letter announcing her retirement from wrestling.
“Wrestling defeated me; I have lost. Forgive me for failing to fulfill the dream and losing my courage. I have no strength left now. Farewell to wrestling, 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to everyone. Please forgive me,”
Phogat stated in her post.
Sarah Ann Hildebrandt went on to claim the gold medal in the women’s 50kg freestyle event, defeating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the final.
