Good news for Vinesh Phogat. (Photo- PTI)
Delhi High Court has allowed wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials of Asian Games 2026. Along with this, the court termed the selection policy of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) as exclusionary and said that it has no right to consider the name of a prestigious player like Vinesh, who has returned after the maternity break. Let us tell you, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had issued a show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat accusing her of indiscipline and violation of anti-doping rules. The federation had also banned him from participating in domestic competitions till June 26, 2026.
Big decision of Delhi High Court
The bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia passed this order on May 22, which was uploaded on the website on Saturday. The court clarified that Vinesh Phogat will be able to participate in the trials to be held on 30 and 31 May 2026. Along with this, the court has also ordered that the selection trials will be videographed by the WFI and one independent supervisor each from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will also be present.
Along with this, the court said that the grounds given in the show cause notice seem to re-raise pre-conceived and closed issues, therefore in the interest of sports and justice it is necessary that the appellant be allowed to participate in the selection trials. Let us tell you, in this 15-page notice, the Indian Wrestling Federation had made serious allegations against Vinesh. The federation said that his conduct had tarnished the image of the country and harmed Indian wrestling. In this, there were violations of the WFI Constitution, international rules of United World Wrestling and anti-doping provisions. The federation had sought clarification from Vinesh on four allegations. These included disqualification from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to failure to meet the weight cut, alleged location failures under anti-doping rules and competing in two different weight categories in the selection trials held in March 2024.
Making a comeback from retirement
Vinesh Phogat is returning to wrestling after 18 months. Vinesh Phogat had distanced herself from this sport in August last year and then entered politics. But he is ready to enter the field once again. Paris Olympics had proved to be a nightmare for Vinesh Phogat. Vinesh had secured her place in the finals of the women’s 50 kg category by displaying excellent wrestling in the Paris Olympics. But, a few hours before the final, she was accused of being overweight and was disqualified. Due to which she missed the medal.
