Sachin Tendulkar backs decision to do away with 'umpire's call' following CAS ruling on Vinesh Phogat's appeal

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has thrown his weight behind wrestler Vinesh Phogat as she seeks to be awarded a shared silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is expected to announce their decision on Phogat's appeal before the conclusion of the Summer Games in Paris. Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the women's 50 kg gold medal bout, and Tendulkar is standing in solidarity with her during this challenging time.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Master Blaster Tendulkar penned his thoughts about Vinesh's disqualification appeal. According to Tendulkar, every sport has rules and those rules need to be seen in context, maybe even revisited at times. Calling for an umpire's call, the batting legend opined that Vinesh was robbed of a deserving silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

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Vinesh Phogat qualified fair and square for the finals: Tendulkar

“Every sport has rules and those rules need to be seen in context, maybe even revisited at times. Vinesh Phogat qualified fair and square for the finals. Her disqualification by weight, was before the finals, and hence, for her to be robbed of a deserving silver medal defies logic and sporting sense,” Tendulkar mentioned.

Medals have been already awarded in wrestling events of the Paris Games. The closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics is on Sunday. Phogat narrowly missed the weight for her 50-kilogram final and the wrestler's disqualification cost India a historic medal in women's wrestling. Phogat defeated defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan before winning her quarterfinal and semifinal bouts to advance to the summit clash on Tuesday. The 29-year-old announced her retirement from the sport on Thursday.

“It would have been understandable if an athlete were to have been disqualified for ethical breaches such as the usage of performance enhancing drugs. In that case, to not be awarded any medal and be placed last would be justifiable. However, Vinesh beat her opponents fairly to reach the top two. She definitely deserves a silver medal. While we all wait for a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, let us hope and pray that Vinesh gets the recognition she deserves,” Tendulkar added.

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