Wrestler Vinesh Phogat suffered a massive setback as the Delhi High Court refused to allow her to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Championship.
Phogat had challenged a September 7 circular by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) setting out the eligibility criteria for the trials, where only medal winners in 2025 and 2026, wrestlers attending the National Coaching Camp and those selected for the 2026 U20 World Wrestling Championship were eligible, ruling Phogat out, who was away on maternity leave.
Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, who was appearing for Phogat, submitted that Phogat was informed of the selection criteria only on September 7, arguing that the criteria made her ineligible following pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum recovery. “Effectively, it means I am out of the reckoning for two more years, and I am finished as an athlete,” Rao submitted.
However, the court ruled that Phogat cannot be exempted from the eligibility criteria set by the WFI.
“To reiterate, the criteria prescribed under the circular dated September 7, 2026 apply uniformly to all athletes. An athlete who has not participated in the prescribed competitions, for whatever reason, would not fall within the eligibility categories specified by respondent no. 1 (WFI),” the court said.
The court said that allowing Phogat to participate without validating the policy might be unfair to the athletes who are facing similar challenges, but did not appear before the court.
“Granting such interim relief to the petitioner alone, without first adjudicating upon the policy itself, may consequently result in unequal treatment of similarly situated athletes who are not before this court,” it said.
The trials are set to take place on September 14 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the court also asked the WFI to consider forming guidelines to facilitate the participation of the female athletes who were away from the sport due to maternity leave, adding that the interest of the country as well as the athletes should be taken care of.