‘Robbed of a Deserving Silver’: Sachin Tendulkar Demands Justice for Vinesh Phogat

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has called for wrestler Vinesh Phogat to be awarded a silver medal after she was disqualified from the 50kg category final for being overweight. Phogat, who had a remarkable journey to the final, announced her retirement following the disqualification and has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The appeal, accepted on August 8, is currently under review.

Tendulkar, in a statement on X, expressed his support for Phogat, emphasising that she earned her place in the finals fairly. He argued that her disqualification for weight issues, rather than for any unethical conduct like doping, was unjust. Tendulkar urged for the rules to be revisited and stressed that Phogat deserves recognition for her achievement.

“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.”

“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,” Tendulkar wrote.

#VineshPhogat #Paris2024 #Olympics @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/LKL4mFlLQq

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 9, 2024

Meanwhile, the CAS has confirmed that a decision on Phogat’s appeal will be made before the conclusion of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. The matter is being handled by sole arbitrator Dr. Annabelle Bennett.