Vinesh Phogat faced a significant setback in her efforts to return to international wrestling. The Delhi High Court denied her request for immediate relief before the Asian Games selection trials.
The two-time World Championships bronze medallist challenged the Wrestling Federation of India’s new selection policy, which currently prevents her from competing in the trials set for May 30 and 31. The court refused to step in without first hearing the federation’s response.
Phogat, who announced her retirement after being disqualified from the women’s 50kg final at the 2024 Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight, has been trying to make a comeback. She entered politics and won the election for the Julana constituency later that year.
The WFI recently declared the 31-year-old ineligible to take part in federation events until June 26. It barred her from the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda earlier this month. A 15-page show-cause notice issued to Phogat accused her of indiscipline, violations related to anti-doping, and damaging the reputation of Indian wrestling following the Paris Olympics controversy.
In her petition, Phogat challenged both the WFI’s February 25 selection policy and a May 6 circular regarding the 2026 Asian Games trials. Under the new rules, only wrestlers who win medals in 2025 or 2026 can participate in the trials, and the federation said that “past performance will not be considered.” Phogat argued that these criteria unfairly excluded her, particularly after her break and pregnancy.
The controversy has also split opinions within Indian wrestling. Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia have publicly supported Phogat’s right to compete, while a group of women wrestlers has approached the court separately, insisting she should follow the same qualification path as everyone else.
