The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is set to hear Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s appeal regarding her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024 at 2 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. IST) on Friday. Representing Vinesh will be senior counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania, along with four pro bono lawyers from the Paris Bar.

Vinesh, who had impressively advanced to the women’s 50kg final in Paris on Tuesday, was disqualified the following day after being found overweight by a mere 100 grams during the weigh-in. This disqualification led her to file two separate appeals with CAS.

The first appeal argued that Vinesh had reached the final in a fair manner and sought to overturn her disqualification. However, CAS promptly ruled against this appeal, delivering a “No” verdict within 24 hours. The second appeal, which remains under consideration, seeks to have Vinesh awarded a joint silver medal. Although CAS has accepted this appeal, the timeline for a verdict is uncertain and may extend beyond the initial 24-hour window.

Vinesh’s journey to the final in the women’s 50kg category saw her triumph over Cuba’s Yusneylys Guzmán. She was scheduled to face the USA’s Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the final on Wednesday, but her disqualification due to the slight weight discrepancy prevented her from competing.

According to United World Wrestling (UWW) competition rules, a wrestler’s results can be annulled if they fail to meet the weight requirements on both days of the competition. In response, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha met with UWW President Nenad Lalovic on Wednesday, requesting that Vinesh’s results from the first day be preserved. Unfortunately, the meeting did not produce the desired outcome, and Hildebrandt went on to defeat Guzmán in the final to claim the gold medal.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Vinesh Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling on Thursday morning.