New Delhi: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has accused the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) of deliberately blocking her comeback. The wrestling body has rubbished the claim.
The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champion suffered a major heartbreak in 2024 after being disqualified from the finals of the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight.
Following this, she announced her retirement from wrestling and joined politics, contested and winning an Assembly seat in Haryana.
In December, 2025, she made a U-turn, announcing her decision to return to wrestling. Phogat has now claimed that she was planning to enter next month’s National Open Ranking tournament, but wasn’t able to register. She reached out to the WFI authorities but has yet to hear from them, she maintained.
The tournament is of utmost importance and is a gateway to remain in contention for the Asian Games and World Championship selection trials. It is to be held from May 10-12 in Gonda, timesnow.in has reported.
“I am hoping to make a comeback at the National Open Ranking Tournament. The registration for it was open until April 30. However, when I tried to register, the portal said it was now closed. I have been trying to contact the administrative staff of the federation, but they haven’t responded to my calls,” Phogat told The Indian Express.
She faced similar issues at the Federation Cup, Phogat claimed, adding that the selection criteria were changed at the last minute. She added that it feels like the WFI is deliberately stopping her from competing.
“I intended to compete there, too, but the team selection criteria were changed at the last minute, so I couldn’t take part. It feels like this is a deliberate attempt to stop me from competing, especially since this is an important tournament to remain in contention for the Asian Games and World Championship selection trials,” she added.
According to WFI’s Asian Games selection policy, only medal winners from the National Championship and the 2026 Federation Cup are eligible to compete in the senior selection trials. However, the medallist at the Open Ranking tournament will also get a place in the national camp, putting them in contention for the trials.
WFI chief Sanjay Singh, however, denied the allegations, saying that other wrestlers also faced similar issues and those were resolved quickly.
“We received similar complaints from other wrestlers, too. They got in touch with our staff, and their issues were resolved. We are not going to stop anybody from competing, and the tournament remains open for everyone,” Singh said.
He told IANS that Phogat’s registration has already been completed.
“Vinesh Phogat’s registration has already been completed. Why is she creating unnecessary ruckus? We have not stopped any wrestler from participating; they are all most welcome. Instead of speaking to the media, she should focus on wrestling. So far, 800 wrestlers have registered, and no one has reported any issue,” Singh said.
