Vinesh Phogat cites tight schedule, distance between the wrestling venue and the Athletes Village as reasons for not making weight cut

Phogat was found 100g overweight on the morning of the day she was to contest the final, and was subsequently ruled ineligible for the bout, a decision the Indian side has challenged, making United World Wrestling (UWW) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) respondents in the case. The IOA is an interested party.\

“IOA deems its duty to back Vinesh and would like to reaffirm its steadfast, unflinching, and unwavering support to her, regardless of the outcome of this matter. We are proud of her countless achievements on the wrestling mat throughout her stellar career,” IOA president PT Usha said in a statement.

In its arguments, the Indian side has cited distance between the wrestling venue and the Athletes Village, and the tight schedule between bouts are claimed to be among the reasons for Phogat’s inability to remain within the prescribed weight for the category, which resulted in her disqualification for the 50kg class gold medal bout.

CAS has said it will deliver a verdict before the Paris Olympics come to an end on Sunday. American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt, meanwhile, secured the gold medal in the category defeating Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman in the final. Phogat is demanding a shared silver medal, as she made the final after winning three bouts on Day 1, including against the previously-invincible Japanese grappler Yui Susaki, after being found within the weight limit for her class.\

Dismayed and heartbroken at the turn of events and her dreams of a gold medal shattered, Phogat subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.

The counsel for Phogat has claimed that the distance between Champ de Mars Arena, the venue for the wrestling competition, and the Athletes Village, and the tight schedule between bouts didn’t allow her enough time to reduce her weight, which had reached 52.7 kg on the evening of Day 1 of her competition.

They have argued that the extra 100g on the second morning gave her no competitive advantage, but was a result of the implementation of a ‘classic and essential recovery process.’

‘The excess of 100g is extremely negligible (representing around 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the athlete’s weight) and can easily be caused by the bloating of a human body during summer weather, as the heat makes the human body retain more water, scientifically for survival purposes. It can also be due to muscle mass increase as the athlete competed three times on the same day. It can also be caused by the food consumption of the athlete after the competitions to sustain her health and integrity for the demanding competitions,” Phogat’s counsel submitted.

They have also argued for the application of the principle of proportionality. ‘There would be a manifest disproportion between the level of excess (which excludes any attempt at fraud or manipulation of the athlete) and the irreversible consequences that would result from her non-participation in the finals in addition to the deprivation of her silver medal that was acquired by hard work.’

Phogat’s counsel claimed that the imperative of preserving athletes’ health must take precedence over all other considerations.

Since the time Phogat, a multiple-time medallist at the World Championships, was ruled ineligible for the gold medal bout and barred from the 50 kg podium, a large number of voices have come out in her support. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has also joined the chorus.

“Time for an Umpire’s Call! 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 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. 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.”