Days after Vinesh Phogat revealed that she did not receive the support of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and its chief PT Usha, top lawyer Harish Salve has revealed that the wrestler-turned-politician was not keen on challenging the CAS verdict that dismissed her plea for a joint silver medal from the Paris Olympic 2024.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the 50 kg women freestyle event after she was found 100 gms overweight. She was relegated to the last spot.
The disqualification cost her a gold medal. Following this Vinesh Phogat appealed to Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) , and lawyer Harish Salve represented her on behalf of the IOA.
The CAS had previously upheld the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to disqualify Vinesh Phogat and rejected her appeal for a joint silver medal in the women’s 50kg wrestling category.
The appeal against the disqualification was filed at the CAS by French pro bono lawyers in Paris. In August, the CAS had in a statement to confirm that, “The application field by Vinesh Phogat on August 7 has been dismissed.”
‘Vinesh Phogat didn’t want to carry this any further’
In August, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) advocate Vidushpat Singhania told news agency ANI that the CAS’s decision can be appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days.
After Vinesh Phogat claimed that her lawyers had been ‘lenient’ with the appeal against disqualification case which cost her a Paris Olympics medal, top lawyer Harish Salve has echoed Singhania’s statement and said the he ‘got the impression’ that Phogat did not want to move further with the case.
Talking to TimesNow, Harish Salve said, ““Later on, we got everything and we fought hard. In fact, I even offered the lady that maybe we can challenge it in the Swiss court of appeal against the arbitration award but I was told by the lawyers that my impression is she didn’t want to carry this any further”.
Vinesh Phogat also alleged that the hospital picture of her and IOA president PT Usha was coerced and unconsented.
Miscommunication with Vinesh Phogat lawyers
Harish Salve also alleged that there was a lack of coordination on the end of Vinesh Phogat’s lawyers.
“There was a complete lack of coordination, lack of cohesion for quite some time initially. That’s because the very good law firm which had been engaged by the Indian Olympic Association was told by some lawyers who the athlete (Vinesh Phogat) had engaged that ‘we will not share anything with you, we will not give anything to you. It was very late we got everything, he added.
Vinesh Phogat recently announced her retirement from wrestling and has since joined the Congress party. The party has nominated her as their candidate for the Julana seat in the upcoming Haryana assembly elections.
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