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Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian captain, has extended his support to Vinesh Phogat after her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, stating that she deserves a silver medal at least. Notably, in the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling event at the Champ de Mars Arena, Vinesh Phogat wasn’t allowed to compete in the gold medal match after missing her weight by 100 grams.
Vinesh Phogat was slated to take on American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling final, but after her disqualification, she got replaced by Guzman Lopez of Cuba. The gold medal went to Hildebrandt after she managed to beat Lopez 3-0 in a gruelling six-minute wrestling match across two rounds.
In his recent interview with the PTI, Sourav Ganguly spoke about Vinesh Phogat’s situation, and said, “I don’t know the exact rule, but I’m sure that when she reached the finals, she must have qualified properly. So when you go to the finals, it’s either a Gold or Silver medal. Whether she was disqualified wrongfully or not, I don’t know, but she deserves the Silver medal at least.”
Moreover, Vinesh Phogat has filed an appeal for a shared silver medal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The decision from the CAS on her appeal is expected to be announced on August 13, Tuesday.
The communication from CAS about the matter read, “The ad hoc division of CAS has extended time for the Sole Arbitrator Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett in the Vinesh Phogat vs. United World Wrestling & the International Olympic Committee matter to give a decision till 6.00 pm (9.30 PM IST) on August 13 (Tuesday).”
