New Delhi: India’s star wrestler Vinesh Phogat has confirmed that she has successfully registered for the ranking tournament in Gonda after initially accusing the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) of ‘deliberately’ blocking her from competing in the event.
Vinesh’s confirmation of participation came after controversy and confusion over her delayed entry. Responding to Vinesh’s allegations, the WFI blamed technical issues with the registration portal, which had initially prevented many other wrestlers from completing the process.
Vinesh Phogat’s initial registration block claims & WFI response
After initially failing to log into the portal, Vinesh eventually submitted her entry after the link became accessible.
As soon as the registration process was completed, a vindicated WFI slammed Vinesh and said that she “didn’t need to make any noise” over her delayed entry. Defending their earlier claim, the WFI also asserted that Vinesh’s registration had already been processed and there was no attempt to block her participation, contrary to the star wrestler’s claims.
“WFI had given ample time to the wrestlers to register themselves and infact as we speak two days are still remaining. There was no need to make so much noise about it. If the website was not working, the WFI office is always accessible. She could have come and submitted her form in person too, a lot of wrestlers have done that,” a WFI official told PTI.
Technical glitches or deliberate obstruction: The WFI-Vinesh standoff
Vinesh, who is set to compete in the 57kg category at the National Open Ranking event in Gonda from May 10-12, shared the information about his registration for the event via a social media post.
“My registration to participate in the upcoming ranking tournament was done this morning. I could not complete the registration yesterday as the link was closed. Thank you for the support from everyone. I am looking forward to competing in my first competition after 20 months,” Vinesh wrote on her social media handle.
However, WFI contradicted her claims and stated that her registration was processed and completed on Monday night itself.
“Her entry was completed at 10:29 pm last night itself and all eligible athletes are being accommodated as per procedure.”
Meanwhile, WFI President Sanjay Singh said,” As a federation, our absolute priority is providing a supportive environment where our athletes can simply focus on doing their best.”
“When recent technical glitches were brought to our attention, we immediately took cognizance and resolved them to ensure that our athletes do not face any hurdles in the future..
“We are entirely focused on moving forward on the world stage, and the current results shows the dedication of our athletes to put India in the high podium,” said Sanjay Singh.
Vinesh will feature in her first competition since coming out of retirement earlier this year. She quit professional wrestling after her disqualification from the 50kg freestyle final at the 2024 Paris Olympics for being overweight.