Vinesh Phogat’s appeal for Olympic silver medal dismissed, devastated fans react

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) gave its final ruling on Vinesh Phogat’s weight case and dismissed the petition. She filed a petition with CAS after being disqualified hours before her final bout in the women’s freestyle 50kg for missing the prescribed weight limit and weighing 100 gms more. Following this, the Indian wrestler was also stripped of the silver medal she was assured of. Hence, she made a plea against her disqualification at the Paris Olympics 2024 and requested a joint silver. The final verdict was announced on Wednesday, after being pushed back earlier.
As the decision came to light, people have taken to social media to show their reactions. While some said expressed their disappointment over the verdict, others showed their support for the wrestler.
“Stay strong #VineshPhogat,” wrote an X user. Another added, “Dark, dark day for Indian sport.”
While a third reacted using a heartbreak emoji, a fourth commented, “Wrestling world will remember Vinesh Phogat for beating the 82-0 record unbeaten Japanese wrestler in 10 seconds. Her fair qualification to the final. Her unfortunate disqualification. That appeal dismissal is a grave injustice, but can’t stop Vinesh’s impact.”
Since the news, people have taken to Google to search about the wrestler and CAS ruling regarding her petition.
Reportedly, Phogat worked all night, limiting her food and water intake, to lose the extra weight. She also ran and jogged for hours, besides sitting in the sauna. According to the members of her team, she cut her hair and shortened her clothes to meet the weight criteria.
Backed by a strong wrestling heritage, Vinesh Phogat is one of the finest wrestlers from India. The three-time Olympian has two World Championships bronze medals and one Asian Games gold medal to her name. She is also the winner of three Commonwealth Games golds.
She is from one of India’s most renowned wrestling families and followed in the footsteps of her cousins, Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari. During the early days of her career, she competed against other wrestlers and faced opposition from people in her village, where wrestling is still considered a man’s sport.
What are your thoughts on the CAS’ decision about Vinesh Phogat?