Vinesh Phogat's Olympic silver medal verdict delayed till August 16; why may this be good news?

PTC News Desk: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has postponed the verdict on Vinesh Phogat's demand until Tuesday, August 13. This is the third time the sports court has extended the verdict on the case. The court is now set to announce its decision on Friday, August 16, at 9:30 p.m. IST. 

Phogat has protested her disqualification from the Paris Olympics, demanding a joint silver medal in the women's 50kg event. 

"By application of Article 18 of the CAS Arbitration Rules for the Olympic Games, the President of the CAS Ad Hoc Division extends the time limit for the Panel to give a decision until 16 August 2024 at 18h00 (Paris time),." CAS said.

The initial possible CAS verdict date was August 10, which was then postponed to August 13. The new verdict date is August 16.  

Vinesh's legal team includes French lawyers Joelle Monlouis, Estelle Ivanova, Habbine Estelle Kim, and Charles Amson, who assisted her and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in filing the application. They were provided to her by the Paris Bar and are handling the matter pro bono.

In addition, experienced counsels Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania were brought in to assist her with the case.

 Before the case's August 13 verdict date, Singhania highlighted why the CAS's lengthy consideration is good news.  

"Yes, the CAS's ad hoc panel has a 24-hour time limit. The fact that they have delayed the verdict date more than once indicates that they are taking his case seriously. If the Arbitrator madam is considering that, it is beneficial to us," Vidushpat Singhania told India Today.

He was honest enough to admit that cases at CAS rarely have beneficial results. 

"I've fought numerous matters at the CAS in the past. The success rate at CAS is extremely low. In this case, we are seeking a landmark decision from the arbitrator. It's a little challenging, but we're hoping for something big," he said.