CAS dismisses Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against disqualification

LAUSANNE – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against disqualification from the Paris Olympics after she failed to make the weight for her women’s 50kg freestyle final last week.

Phogat was set to face American Sarah Hildebrandt for the gold medal on Aug 7 but was found to be 100g overweight, despite starving herself and spending hours in a sauna the previous night to cut down to her competition weight.

The disqualification meant the 29-year-old did not receive a medal and she filed an appeal in sport’s highest court challenging the decision of governing body United World Wrestling.

She sought a ruling awarding her a shared silver medal but those hopes faded after the CAS decision on Aug 14. Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzman Lopez replaced Phogat in the final, which Hildebrandt won 3-0 to take the gold.

An emotional Phogat had said after the disqualification that she would retire from wrestling.

Meanwhile, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Aug 14 it has filed an appeal with CAS in the case that cleared American sprinter Erriyon Knighton of a doping offence, thus allowing him to compete at the Paris Olympics.

Knighton, 20, tested positive for a banned substance in March but avoided a ban as the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) said an independent arbitrator ruled it was likely caused by contaminated meat and that he was not at fault and had not acted with negligence.

The finding cleared the 200m world championships silver medallist to run at the US Olympic trials in June and he went on to compete in Paris where he finished fourth in the men’s 200m final.

The AIU, an independent body created in 2017 by World Athletics to manage integrity issues for the sport of athletics, said it has challenged the first instance decision that Knighton had established no fault or negligence.

“This appeal is against the decision of an arbitration tribunal in the United States that the athlete established no fault or negligence after Usada brought charges against the athlete for the presence of epitrenbolone and use of trenbolone,” the AIU said on X.

Usada chief executive Travis Tygart said in a statement on Aug 14 he understood the AIU’s reasons for appealing the case, which he called an example of the system at work, before pointing a finger at the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

“The real issue in this case is Wada’s bad rule. Trenbolone, the substance in Knighton’s case, is a known livestock enhancer and known to be found in the meat supply,” he said.

“We have advocated for the rules around contamination to formally change for years, and Wada has refused to act swiftly.”

US and global anti-doping authorities have been at loggerheads since the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were allowed to compete. REUTERS