New Delhi | Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Friday threw his weight behind Vinesh Phogat saying the disqualification of the Indian wrestler, ahead of her gold-medal bout at the Paris Olympics, "defied logic and sporting sense, and asked for rules to be revisited.
Competing in the 50kg category, Vinesh was disqualified after being found 100gm overweight during the morning weigh-in, following which she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), demanding that she be awarded a joint silver medal.
The development triggered a wave of sympathy for Vinesh, who has since announced her retirement from wrestling.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tendulkar said that Vinesh was robbed of a deserving silver medal.
"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 wrote.
Vinesh stunned defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan before winning her quarterfinal and semifinal bouts to advance to the summit clash on Tuesday.
Tendulkar agreed with Vinesh that she should be awarded the silver medal considering the circumstance under which she was disqualified.
"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." The batting maestro is hoping that the CAS rules in her favour.
"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." Since her disqualification, Vinesh has received support from various quarters not just in India but overseas too, with legendary American wrestler Jordan Burroughs leading the campaign on social media to award her a silver medal.
