The Paris Olympics may have concluded on Sunday, 11 August, but for the Indian sports fan – it’s still not quite the case. Along with wrestler Vinesh Phogat, they are all praying for a favourable verdict when the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) announcement comes on Tuesday. While the collective prayer is that the CAS recommends that a joint silver medal be awarded to Phogat, who became the first Indian woman wrestler to make the final, it’s the prerogative of the United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body of the sport, to take a call.
While Vinesh’s lawyers have reportedly made an extremely strong case in a three-hour hearing, a reversal of her disqualification will need nothing short of a miracle – and the umbrella bodies know too well that it will set up a precedent which they will find impossible to contend with. It’s common knowledge that in body contact disciplines like wrestling, weightlifting, boxing and judo – managing of weight becomes imperative as it’s the only benchmark to ensure a level playing field for athletes. There have been several such cases of heartbreak where an athlete has just gone off the mark, including Japanese Rei Higuchi, men’s gold medallist in the 57 kg class in Paris.
Higuchi had been 50 grams overweight (yes, you have heard it right) in Tokyo 2020 and could not compete in his home Olympics – before showing great resilience and character for a comeback this time around. Also Read: Khaps in Haryana seek .