The Court of Arbitration for Sports on August 9 will be hearing plea of ace Indian wrestlerVinesh Phogat against her disqualification at the Paris Olympics. In her appeal, Phogat is also seeking a shared silver medal after being deemed overweight following her semi-final victory in Paris. Phogat was disqualified after she weighed 100 grams more than the permissible limit.
As per Tribunal Arbitral du Sport / Court of Arbitration for Sport website, The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was established in 1984 in order to address the legal issues faced by athletes. Its goal is to resolve sports-related disputes through arbitration or appeals against decisions made by sports organisations or bodies. CAS operates under the administrative and financial oversight of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS).
Any disputes directly or indirectly linked to sport may be submitted to the CAS. These may be disputes of a commercial nature (e.g. a sponsorship contract), or of a disciplinary nature following a decision by a sports organisation (e.g. a doping case), Tribunal Arbitral du Sport / Court of Arbitration for Sport website states.
Comprising over 400 arbitrators from 87 countries, the CAS is open to all members associated with sports, for seeking arbitration. Athletes, clubs, sports associations, organisers of sporting events, television broadcasters and sponsors can all appeal to CAS.
Vinesh won three matches on August 6 while staying within the weight limit, so her entry into the final was valid. After those matches, she needed to hydrate and recover, which led to weight gain as part of her recovery process, not in the nature of giving her advantage.
