Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat just barely failed to make weight ahead of what was set to be her Olympic finals match on Wednesday against American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt. Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, whom Phogat beat in the semifinal the day before, took Phogat’s place in the 50-kilogram final, and Hildebrandt won the gold — the second for U.S. women wrestlers in as many days.
While it was a great feat for Hildebrandt and the U.S. team, it was devastating for Phogat and her many supporters. As NBC News reported, she’s known for her “impassioned activism against sexual harassment in her sport, including making major allegations against the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India.” Phogat then announced her retirement, writing on social media (in a translation from Hindi by Reuters) that her “dreams are shattered. I don’t have any more strength.”
Now, you might be wondering: Why are you reading this dramatic wrestling story on a legal blog?
That’s because the story might not be over: It’s now a legal one of sorts. Phogat has pleaded her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an institution headquartered in Switzerland with an ad hoc division set up in Paris for the games. On Friday, the court noted that Phogat had filed an application with the tribunal, challenging United World Wrestling’s decision to replace her in the gold medal match. She wants to be awarded a (shared) silver medal.
There are separate weigh-ins for each day of wrestling, so Phogat had made the weight cut-off in her matches leading up to the finals. She reportedly only missed the weight on Wednesday by 100 grams — about a fifth of a pound. Sports Illustrated reported that “she was not only disqualified from the match against Hildebrandt but also had her previous victories in the tournament nullified.”
Phogat’s path to success in her challenge is unclear because the UWW’s wrestling rules state: “If an athlete does not attend or fail the weigh-in (the 1st or the 2nd weigh-in), he will be eliminated of [sic] the competition and ranked last, without rank.”
The sports court said the matter has been referred to an arbitrator to hold a hearing with the parties on Friday, with a decision expected before the end of the Olympic Games on Sunday.
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