'Robbed of a deserving silver. It defies logic': Tendulkar wants Olympic medal for Vinesh Phogat

Vinesh Phogat was heartbreakingly disqualified from Paris Olympics ahead of her Gold Medal match in women's 50kg wrestling when she was found 100 grams overweight on Wednesday morning. The disqualification sent shivers back home in India as the country was expecting it's first Silver or Gold medal in women's wrestling at Olympics. 

Post her disqualification, Vinesh Phogat's appeal to restore her Silver Medal is going to be heard by the Court Of Arbitration Of Sports on Friday. As the nation awaits the verdict, India's cricketing God Sachin Tendulkar spoke out against the issue and has demanded that Vinesh Phogat's Silver Medal be restored. 

Sachin Tendulkar demands Vinesh Phogat's silver to be restored 

Sachin Tendulkar took to his social media to share his feelings on the issue. Sachin Tendulkar in his post said that the decision defied logic as he demanded the silver medal needed to be restored. Tendulkar wento to the lengths to suggest that even Olympic rules and decisions need a review as they end up being unfair to the athletes. 

"Time for an Umpire's Call! 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," said Sachin Tendulkar. 

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Sachin Tendulkar further went on to claim that stripping people off their Olympic medals is only fair when it happens due to ethical reasons. 

“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," said Sachin Tendulkar. 

Sachin Tendulkar however maintained that Vinesh Phogat made her way through to the Paris Olympics final fair and square and hence her Silver Medal needs to be restored.  

"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,” concluded Sachin Tendulkar.

Also Read | Antim Panghal returns to India after Paris Olympics controversy

When will verdict around Vinesh Phogat arrive?

Vinesh Phogat has appealed her case to the Court Of Arbitration Of Sports in an attempt to restore her silver. The hearing is supposed to start around 5:30PM IST on Friday, 9th August. 

While there is no confirmation on when the verdict will be announced it has been confirmed that the case will be resolved before the end of Paris Olympics on Sunday, 11th August.