2024-10-07 18:14:24
New Delhi: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat recently accused the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and its president PT Usha of not supporting her in the Paris Olympics and playing politics. Vinesh said that she was disqualified before the gold medal match and the IOA did not support her. However, renowned lawyer Harish Salve has revealed that Vinesh did not want to pursue the matter further after her appeal against her disqualification was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Vinesh’s weight was 100 grams more
Harish Salve was representing the IOA in the CAS hearing. Vinesh had appealed to be given a combined silver medal. Vinesh, who was making the final in her third Olympics, was disqualified from the women’s 50kg freestyle event. Despite efforts made overnight to lose excess weight, Vinesh was found to be 100 grams overweight at the second weigh-in. After the disqualification, a dejected Vinesh announced her retirement from the game.
Recently she joined the Indian National Congress and will make her political debut as the party’s candidate from Julana constituency of Jind in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. In a recent interview with a local news channel, she hit out at the IOA president, saying that she had come to meet him in the hospital only as a formality and he played politics by getting a photo clicked and posting it on social media.
What did Harish Salve say?
Speaking to Times Now, Salve revealed that Vinesh did not want to challenge the decision given by the CAS. Salve said, ‘There was a complete lack of coordination for a long time in the beginning. This was because the very good law firm appointed by the Indian Olympic Association was told by the athlete’s lawyer that we will not share anything with you, we will not give you anything. We got everything very late.
Salve said that his team prosecuted the case hard and also offered Vinesh to appeal against the CAS decision in the Swiss Court. But he did not show any interest. “Later, we got everything and fought hard,” Salve said. In fact, I even proposed to the lady that perhaps we could challenge (the CAS decision) in a Swiss court. I believe she did not want to take it further.