Sourav Ganguly Backs Vinesh Phogat, Says She Deserved Silver Medal in Paris Olympics

The Ongoing Paris Olympics has seen a lot of incredible moments to celebrate. But the disqualification of Indian woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat shattered the whole sports community. After delivering a performance, she advanced to compete for the gold medal. But later she was disqualified for a weight-related issue. After that disqualification,  sportspersons from different parts of the world stood by her. Recently former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly supported the wrestler. 

Vinesh Phogat’s Heartbreaking Disqualification:

Phogat reached the gold medal match by defeating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night. She was scheduled to face Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal. However, Phogat was disqualified due to a weight limit breach. On the morning of the final, she was found to be 100 grams overweight and was subsequently removed from the competition.

After her disqualification, the wrestler appealed the decision. On August 9, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) held a three-hour hearing in Paris to review Vinesh Phogat’s appeal. Vinesh, participating virtually, presented her case to challenge the disqualification and sought to overturn the decision. Even after that, Vinesh Phogat also announced his retirement from the Wrestling world.

Sourav Ganguly Extended His Support to Vinesh:

After the incident, the sports community rallied around Vinesh Phogat. Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly expressed his support, stating that Phogat deserved at least a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

He said, “I don’t know the exact rule, but I’m sure that when she reached the finals, she must have qualified properly. So when you go to the finals, it’s either a Gold or Silver medal. Whether she was disqualified wrongfully or not, she deserves the Silver medal at least”.

The decision is not yet confirmed. But the Indian Olympic Association is all optimistic. In a release, they said, “Indian Olympic Association remained hopeful of a positive resolution of wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s application before the Ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against her failed weigh-in on the second day of her Women’s Wrestling 50kg competition in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

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