The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will take three more days to deliberate on Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the women's 50kg free-style final of the Olympic Games and will announce its decision on August 13.
The verdict on her appeal was initially to be announced this evening, but the Indian Olympic Association has now stated that the verdict will be known only on Tuesday.
"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 p.m. on August 13, 2024," a statement from the IOA read.
"The reference to August 11 in the earlier communication sent by me was to the time given to all parties to present any additional documents before the Sole Arbitator," it added, before apologizing "the confusion and inconvenience caused".
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Vinesh was represented by a group of pro bono French lawyers who are part of a panel set up for the Olympics to fight urgent cases that come before CAS. The IOA, which is an interested party in the case, was represented by Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania.
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The CAS ad-hoc division, set up especially for dispute resolution during the Games, accepted Vinesh's appeal against her ouster for being 100gm overweight on the morning of her final against eventual gold-winner Sarah Ann Hildebrandt.
Vinesh was replaced by Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who lost to her in the semifinals, in the summit clash. In her appeal, the Indian has demanded that she be given a joint silver with Lopez as she was within the prescribed weight limit during her bouts on Tuesday
In a statement, the CAS said that Vinesh had not requested for urgent interim measures, and that it would not have been possible considering the respondents (UWW, the world wrestling federation) would also needed to be heard first. "The procedure is, however, ongoing and the Applicant has confirmed that she seeks the annulment of the Challenged Decision and that she requests to be awarded a (shared) silver medal," it read.
The grounds for appeal by Vinesh's team are understood to rest on these points: Vinesh won three bouts on August 6 with her weight within the limit, and therefore her entry to the final was legal. After those three bouts she needed to hydrate and eat to a sufficient quantity for her body to recover, so the weight she regained was not in the nature of giving her an advantage but part of an essential recovery process. Vinesh was disqualified from the Olympics on the morning of her gold medal bout, after failing to make weight, reportedly 100 grams over the weight limit.
Vinesh had weighed in at 49.9kg on the morning of her first bout and went on to reach the final after three bouts, but weighed 52.7kg by the end of day's play. After a sleepless night where drastic measures were taken to make weight, Vinesh weighed in at 50.1kg on the morning of her gold medal bout, and was subsequently disqualified as per UWW (United World Wrestling) rules.
Following Vinesh's disqualification, Yusneylys Guzman Lopez of Cuba (whom Vinesh had defeated in her semifinal) replaced her in the gold medal bout, which was won by Sarah Hildebrandt of the USA. Vinesh's appeal is to be awarded a joint silver medal.