Paris (France): The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has requested additional time to appoint a lawyer for Vinesh Phogat’s appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) after the court accepted the Indian wrestler's appeal on Thursday.
Vinesh had appealed against her disqualification on two counts. The first appeal was to let her weigh in again before the commencement of the match, to which the court reacted immediately, rejecting it and the gold medal match was held as scheduled on Wednesday night. The second appeal was to award her a silver medal as she had earned it with a proper weigh-in on Tuesday. The CAS has accepted her second plea and the issue will be discussed at the time of the verdict.
According to India Today's reports, CAS had granted the Indian contingent to finalise their legal representation until 9:30 PM IST on Thursday. However, the government of India has asked for an extension in the hearing to hire a perfect lawyer. Hence, the hearing has now been rescheduled to 10 AM local time tomorrow (1:30 PM IST).
An ad hoc division of CAS has been set up in Paris for the resolution of any disputes arising during the Olympic Games.
According to reports, four lawyers from Paris are currently representing Vinesh. However, the IOA is considering the option of involving Indian legal experts in the upcoming hearings. The final decision from the hearing may not be reached immediately, and the case could potentially be prolonged.
The 29-year-old, who was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight than the permissible weight before her gold medal bout in the 50 kg wrestling category on August 7, will be facing a crucial legal battle. The hopes will be high for Vinesh Phogat, who announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday morning, winning the silver medal.
