“When she reached the finals, she must have qualified properly” – Sourav Ganguly feels Vinesh Phogat deserves a medal at Paris Olympics 2024

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly feels wrestler Vinesh Phogat deserved a medal at the Paris Olympics. Phogat qualified for the Gold medal match in the 50 kg category at the Games, which concluded on Sunday. However, on the day of her final match, she weighed 50.100 kgs, 100 grams more than the permissible weight.

Ergo, according to United World Wrestling rules, she was disqualified and finished last in her event. However, Ganguly reasoned that Phogat qualified fair and square for the final, and thus she should be awarded a Silver medal.

Meanwhile, Vinesh Phogat has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to grant her a medal and the decision is expected to arrive soon. Lawyers Harish Salve and Vidhushpat Singhania presented Phogat’s case.

Sourav Ganguly said in a media interaction via the PTI, “I don’t know the exact rule, but I’m sure that when she reached the finals, she must have qualified properly. So when you go to the finals, it’s either a Gold or Silver medal. Whether she was disqualified wrongfully or not, I don’t know, but she deserves the Silver medal at least.”

After she was disqualified, Phogat decided to retire from wrestling. Former Indian veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said it was heartbreaking for the wrestler. 

Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “It is a very sad thing. Four years, eight years. It is meditation. It is a ritual for Olympic athletes. They have been there for so many years. She would have brought a medal back. She would have brought a lot of medals to our country. She has faced a lot of difficulties. Now, she has retired. It is highly heartbreaking for Vinesh Phogat.”