That is very much that, then. Across a 24-page document, sole arbitrator Annabelle Bennett comprehensively recorded Vinesh Phogat's case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and ended it with her final decision: "In view of the above considerations, the Applicant's Application filed on 7 August 2024 shall be dismissed." No joint-silver, nothing, as we had predicted since CAS released its brief verdict on August 14.
There is, though, a potential silver lining here, because a reading of the detailed judgement shows there is scope for a relook at the laws that govern weigh-ins at big wrestling events. Vinesh will not get her medal, but similar incidents can be prevented in the future.
There are enough indications in the detailed verdict that Bennett disagreed with the rules but, as she explained, her hands were tied. This was the most striking: "The consequences of the failed second weigh-in, which do not arise from any illegal or wrongful act on the part of the Applicant are, in the opinion of the Sole Arbitrator, draconian."
Since the validity of said rule was not being contested, she said, there was nothing much she could do about it; instead, she subtly put the onus on United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body, to revisit its laws.
Vinesh's ouster may have been correct as per the rules, as Bennett pointed out, but the outpouring of support and empathy for her from across the world of wrestling and beyond suggests it's time for a change. Here are some rules the UWW could start with.
One-day weigh-in as opposed to two-day weigh-ins
Vinesh competed on August 6 at the Paris Olympics because she made the weigh-in on the first day. That much is accepted by all parties. Now, why does wrestling mandate a second weigh-in for a competitor who's already made the cut for the first bout? Considering the health risks associated with weight cuts, wouldn't it be advisable to have the athlete continue through the tournament without any further weigh-ins? Especially since it's just a two-day affair.
Wrestling had always been a single-day affair from the first round to the final until 2017 when the two-day format was introduced. Under the new rule, a strict no-allowance weigh-in on the first day was followed by a weigh-in on the second day that had a two-kilogram allowance.
Skipping, sauna, sparring, cutting her hair: How Vinesh tried to get her weight down
Rather ironically, one of the highlighted aims for that change was to reduce the need for drastic weight cuts, so that wrestlers may compete closer to their natural weight. UWW president Nenad Lalovic had said at the time, "I [..] believe these new rules will also encourage healthier wrestlers."
The logic was that dividing it over two days meant that athletes wouldn't lose a huge amount of weight in one day and compete, but an important part of that was the 2kg allowance on the second day. If the concept of the daily weigh-in can't be dropped (even boxing has daily weigh-ins on the morning of the bouts), revisiting the original 2017 format would be a start.
Strangely, while dropping the 2kg provision from the Olympics (without any explanation), the UWW itself follows this rule in certain "international tournaments" like the World Cup. Why not extend it to the Olympic Games? Whatever the reasoning behind allowing this tolerance at other events, surely that could be extended to the single most important tournament in the sport.
Staggered weigh-ins for different wrestlers
At the Olympics, each wrestler must make weight ahead of the morning session. While this makes sense for those competing in that session, for finalists who only compete late in the evening session (such as in Vinesh's case), why can't there be an afternoon weigh-in? Considering how little effort it requires from the administrator's side and how big an impact it could make on the athlete's health and physical condition, this could be a provision that's explored.
Explained: Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from Paris Olympics?
Seemingly, all the weigh-ins are done at the same point since UWW referees and officials need to be present at the time of the weigh-in. Surely, though, the global body can manage to conduct an additional, smaller-scale weigh-in in the afternoon for finalists who compete later. That would give the wrestlers, who have put on weight after the Day 1 weigh-in thanks to rehydration and nutrition, sufficient time to lose weight. In Vinesh's case, specifically, she would most likely have shed the excess 100 grams of weight and been cleared for her final.
Cater to the biological differences between women and men
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) tried to argue that "the biological difference in the bodies of male and female wrestlers, particularly in light of the menstruation of women, needs to be taken into account whilst determining the eligibility of female wrestlers on the second day of the weigh-in".
Bennett dismissed the IOA's argument, stating that it was "unquantified", and that "the effects of any such differences [between male and female bodies], and of steps to mitigate such effects, are speculative and unsupported by evidence and cannot be considered for the purposes of this Application." This is a reasonable statement.
Why not quantify it, though? Why not have supportive evidence to back the anecdotal? To do this would take very specific studies to be conducted on women's physiology (as against generalising based on men's), for each Olympic weight class. Such a scientific approach would only help the athletes -- which should be the prime consideration of the governing body.
Vinesh Phogat has a bigger fight, if she wants it: saving Indian wrestling
Sports science has progressed over the years, and an in-depth study of many aspects unique to female physiology -- like how menstrual cycles affect weight retention -- can be commissioned.
For instance, multiple focused studies have shown how women footballers are more prone to ACL injuries (4-6 times more) due to various factors, all of which can be quantified: ligamentous laxity, hormonal influences, neuromuscular imbalances, biomechanical alignment, and intercondylar notch width. The study of this has helped advocate for different training methodologies for women - like managing the greater imbalance between hamstring and quadricep strength. It's also helping in the design of boots specific to women footballers (wider around the toes, narrower at the heel and more support around the arch).
There are visible changes in the way sport is played too - the three-point line in the WNBA is 20'6" from the basket, in the NBA it is 23'9", and they use different-sized balls (size 6 vs size 7). In Olympic track and field, the men's shotput is 7.26 kg, the women's is 4 kg, the women's hurdle is 2'9" high, while the men's is 3'6". A volleyball net is at 2.43m for men and 2.24m for women.
These sweeping differences, though, are not necessary for wrestling as it stands. What we are calling for here is to adopt a more scientific approach -- like football is starting to adopt -- to take a relook at certain rules and regulations that clearly were designed for men (look at the looseness of language in the regulations, where the pronoun 'he' is often used by itself) and rework those for women.
Is the 'punishment' proportional?
"The Sole Arbitrator observes that the Athlete entered the field of play and fought and won three rounds and reached the final of the 50 kg wrestling competition at the Paris Olympic Games before she failed the second weigh-in and was ineligible to compete in the final. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part."
No wrongdoing. And yet, a finalist of the Games walks away without a medal. There is an inherent injustice here that UWW can ensure won't happen in the future -- the striking down of the "draconian" rule that states failing of the second weigh-in disqualifies the athlete from the entire competition. In Vinesh's case, she was below the 50kg limit on day 1, and she pulled off three remarkable wins on that day -- surely, it's reasonable to suggest that we consider that for the final result? Don't let the athlete compete on day 2 if they don't make weight, but don't erase day 1's triumphs either.
Before Vinesh Phogat the icon was Vinesh Phogat the champion wrestler
Let's continue with the Vinesh example -- if we are voiding her results from day 1, couldn't the great Yui Susaki claim on good grounds that she's as entitled to advance to the gold medal match as the wrestler who was promoted to it, Yusneylis Guzman Lopez? Having come into the Games with an 82-0 record in international competition, it stands to reason that she would have been the favourite to advance if she'd been given a chance to take on Lopez (like she showed by beating Vinesh's quarterfinal opponent Oksana Livach in repechage). If Vinesh is ranked last, with no wins, Susaki has a logical claim for a route to the final as well.
Paris' boxing unit regulations, for instance, state that: "If a Boxer fails the Medical Examination or Daily Weigh-In, his/her opponent will win by WO," but there is no mention of taking a medal away from them (in boxing, entering semifinals guarantees a medal). It stands to reason from the reading of the rules that a boxer who didn't make the daily weigh-in ahead of the final would forfeit the final by walkover, but still be awarded a silver medal.
Now, implementing changes as suggested in the previous points may take time, but in the meantime, this is one disproportionate punishment that can be removed with a simple press of the backspace key.
The Vinesh Phogat case is a unique one, and while retrospectively addressing it may well be impossible, it can be used as the springboard for change.