Former Indian shooter and Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra strongly reacted to repeated delay by the Court Of Arbitration For Sports (CAS) in pronouncing their verdict on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024 on Tuesday, August 13.
The CAS verdict on Phogat's disqualification from the gold medal due to overweight issues was supposed to be pronounced on Tuesday, but the tribunal body for sports delayed the decision for the third time. In a statement released by CAS, the panel has been given extended time limit to give their decision and the verdict will be announced on August 16.
The repeated delay by the Court Of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) resulted in frustration among the Indian sports fraternity as the uncertainty over the silver medal to Vinesh Phogat has left the supporters in a state of distress.
Amid the frustration among the Indian sports fraternity over the delay in pronouncing the judgement on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification, Abhinav Bindra gave his thoughts about the matter. Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), India's first individual Olympic gold medalist admitted that frustration over the delay of CAS's judgement on Indian wrestler's judgement while highlighting the athletes' four years of hard work to achieve Olympic glory.
Abhinav Bindra also emphasised the importance of being patient and persistent to get going despite the setbacks.
"We’ve all felt that frustration when something important gets delayed, and today, many of us are feeling that as we wait for Vinesh Phogat’s CAS judgment. But here’s a thought—this is kind of like what athletes go through every four years, waiting for another shot at Olympic glory. The nerves, the anticipation, the “just get here already!” feeling—we’ve all been there, right?" Bindra wrote.
"Sport isn’t just about what happens on the field - it’s about the waiting, the patience, and the persistence to keep going, no matter what. So while we wait for August 16th, let’s remember what our athletes endure and cheer them on, knowing they’re playing the longest game of them all." he added.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from her gold medal bout after he found to be weighed 100 grams more than the permissible limit of 50kg, her weight category in wrestling at the Paris Olympics. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) lodged a complaint with the International Olympic Committee against the Phogat's disqualification.
Before the closing ceremony of Paris Olympics, Vinesh Phogat appealed to the CAS over her disqualification and demanded a joint silver medal, which was accepted by the international tribunal court for sports for the hearing.
