Vinesh Phogat with Abhinav Bindra© X (Twitter)
Sport is often exhilarating, with his topsy-turvy moments. Wins and losses often define whether the end result would be euphoric or miserable. But sometimes, sports can be cruel, beyond the nature of its results. Such is the feeling in the heart of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat and over a billion people in the world's most populous country after she was disqualified from the Women's freestyle 50kg final. The sight of the weighing scale showing about 100 grams over the 50kg mark would torment the ace wrestler for years, with the moment robbing her of a chance to win a gold medal for her country.
While sympathies are with Vinesh, India's shooting legend Abhinav Bindra says rules are what makes any sport what it is, and they need to be followed without exception.
"It's an incredibly tough situation. Frankly, I don't even know what to say. I mean the rules are very clear -- where you draw a line. Sport is always governed by the rules. If you don't govern sport by rules, there is no sport," Abhinav Bindra told India Today when asked about Vinesh Phogat's appeal.
Vinesh has appealed her case at the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), the result of which is still awaited. While Bindra too is keeping his fingers crossed, he has no clue in which direction the case is heading.
"But, of course, I fully empathise with Vinesh. It's an incredibly difficult time for her. Everybody's heart is broken. We are all there for her. I had the opportunity to meet her as well.
"I really don't know where this would end. I know the decision, now, has been postponed for a couple of days. So, I think one just has to be patient. I am not privy to the arguments that have been made, I am no legal expert. So patience is the key," Bindra asserted.