A day after her heartbreaking disqualification, Vinesh Phogat's lawyer told the Delhi High Court that Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and it's president Sanjay Singh was at the Olympics village in Paris and taking proxy decisions for Vinesh.
The court on Thursday, August 8, was hearing a writ petition filed by Vinesh, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik seeking fresh elections for the wrestling body.
Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, who appeared for Vinesh, said that the WFI’s elected executive committee was suspended in December 2023 by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He said that WFI is “being manned by proxies” and Sanjay Singh was deciding what should happen to Vinesh Phogat.
Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik had said she will not be competing in wrestling anymore following Sanjay Singh's victory as WFI president. Sakshi removed her shoes and put them on the dais before leaving the press conference in tears. "I am dejected and I will not be competing in wrestling anymore," she had said.
On Thursday, the Union government's standing counsel Anil Soni refused to argue, stating that the entire nation was with Vinesh. Justice Purushaindra Kaurav asked the Union government to submit the pleadings within a week so that the wrestlers can respond if they want to. The matter has been posted to September 12.
Requesting for an earlier date, Mehra said that the entire country was upset and the matter is in national interest. Vinesh, who made history by defeating four time world champion Yui Sasaki in the quarterfinal on her road to the finals, was deemed ineligible to contest the gold medal match with USA’s Sarah Hildebrandt on the morning of the bout. She was disqualified after she failed the second weigh-in test by a small margin of 100 grams.
On behalf of the wrestler, four lawyers in Paris filed a protest appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) pro bono. According to reports, the IOA had sought additional time to appoint a lawyer for the appeal before CAS, which would decide if the Indian should get a joint-Silver medal. Former Solicitor General of India Harish Salve agreed to represent Vinesh at the CAS, which would be held on August 9.
According to the rules, wrestlers have to give two weigh-ins— one before the competition starts on day one and the other before the medal matches on day two. Vinesh, in an unusual move, had contested both 50 kg and 53 kg weight categories in the national trials held before the Olympic qualifiers, conducted by an ad-hoc committee. She requested the committee to give it in writing that the trials would be held after the Olympic qualifiers fearing that the WFI might not hold one. Vinesh was allowed to compete in both categories by the ad-hoc committee but did not say that trials would be held in writing. The committee was dissolved by the IOA on March 18.
Three days later, on March 21, WFI said that athletes who secured an Olympic berth in the International qualifiers would remain as it is. “Five wrestlers (except Vinesh) had written to the WFI seeking exemption from the trials,” Sanjay Singh had said. As a result, Vinesh had to compete in Paris under the 50 kg weight category as the trials were not held.