3 min readMay 6, 2026 10:42 PM IST
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) effectively ended Vinesh Phogat’s bid to compete at the Asian Games, stating that the eligible events for selection didn’t include next week’s National Open Ranking tournament.
The governing body announced that it will conduct the Asian Games trials for women on May 30 in New Delhi and a day later in Lucknow for men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.
It was earlier expected that the ranking tournament in Gonda from May 10-12 would open the door for Vinesh, who is set to return to the mat after 20 months, to be in contention for the Asian Games trials. However, in a circular issued on Wednesday, the WFI laid down the eligibility criteria.
It said that only the medallists at the 2025 National Championships, held in December, and last February’s Federation Cup would be allowed to compete in the selection trials. Vinesh, who gave birth to a baby boy in July last year, did not compete in either tournament.
The WFI’s decision will come as a blow to Vinesh, a 2018 Asian Games gold medallist. The wrestler, who walked away from the sport after the Paris Olympics heartbreak, had announced her comeback in December. Last week, she claimed that she intended to compete at the Federation Cup, ‘but the team selection criteria were changed at the last minute’, and she couldn’t compete.
Since announcing her return, Vinesh has been at loggerheads with the WFI. First, she alleged that they were trying to stop her from registering for the ranking tournament – a claim WFI rejected. Then, she challenged the decision to conduct the tournament in Gonda, the backyard of former federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh also said that she was among the alleged victims of sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan, and was one of the six woman wrestlers who have filed complaints against him.
The ranking tournament is scheduled to take place at the Nandininagar Mahavidyalaya in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. Brij Bhushan is the founder of Nandinagar Mahavidyalaya and is a former Member of Parliament from Gonda. He is facing trial in a Delhi court after some of the country’s top woman wrestlers accused him of sexual harassment in 2023. Vinesh was at the forefront of those protests along with Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik.
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Meanwhile, the WFI added that the U-20 National Championships medallists will also be eligible for the Asian Games selection trials. The only deviation from its earlier selection policy, released in February, was that the U-23 Nationals will no longer be considered. Back in February, the WFI said the U-23 medallists could also take part in the trials if the tournament was held in time. However, the U-23 Nationals are yet to take place.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
