Vinesh Phogat (L) and Sachin Tendulkar (R).
Credit: Reuters Photos
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Friday came out in support of wrestler Vinesh Phogat who recently made headlines after being disqualified from the final match of 50 kg wrestling at 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the cricket legend said that Phogat was robbed of a deserving silver medal defying logic and sporting sense.
"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.
He further added, "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."
Sachin's comments come at a time when the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is still pending.