Delhi HC slams WFI for calling Vinesh Phogat Olympic exit national shame

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court Friday slammed Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for claiming that wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic 2024 disqualification was a “national shame”. HC said it would “ensure” she is able to participate in the May 30 trials for the selection of the team for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan and indicated that it would pass orders after WFI resisted the court’s repeated hints to allow Phogat to attend the trials, which are to be held in Delhi.

“Was it a national shame? Is this how people of this country saw it? That’s how you serve the cause of sports in this country?” an angry bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed as it took exception to WFI denying the Olympian an opportunity to compete in the trials despite clearance from the international body.



It said the federation’s departure from the earlier practice of permitting the participation of reputed athletes based on past performance “speaks volumes” and appeared to be “premeditated”. The bench lashed out at WFI’s counsel for citing her absence on the wrestling circuit and reminded him that Phogat had recently become a mother. Even as the WFI counsel clarified that the selection criterion is not to the exclusion of new mothers and the issue in the present case arose from Phogat’s decision to retire, the court remarked that the consequence of the WFI policy was that she had been excluded.

Had she not become a mother, she would have participated and become eligible, HC said, adding that an athlete should concentrate on sports preparation, not litigation.

Meanwhile, the Centre distanced itself from WFI’s stand and the letter, instead claiming it had not sought that Phogat be in any way excluded, which was the wrestling body’s decision. The Centre’s counsel submitted that if Phogat clears the trials, the framework provided by the Sports Authority of India permits relaxation of criteria for her to participate in the Asian Games. The criteria for her participation in the trials, however, has to be relaxed by WFI, the lawyer said.

WFI’s selection policy absolutely retrograde: HC

He further said the trials could be conducted under the supervision of a technical team of WFI in the presence of independent observers nominated by the Centre and the Indian Olympic Association, and the entire exercise would be videographed. HC was hearing Phogat’s appeal against a single-judge’s order of May 18 refusing her immediate relief from being barred from the selection trials.

In her petition, Phogat challenged WFI’s selection policy and circular, which limited eligibility for participation in the trials only to medal winners of certain tournaments. Phogat asserted that the “qualification window” chosen by WFI substantially overlapped with her notified sabbatical on account of pregnancy and post-partum recovery, which created a “closed and inflexible gate-keeping mechanism” that was arbitrary and discriminatory.

HC expressed its displeasure at the show-cause notice and questioned why it should not be presumed that WFI changed the selection criteria to exclude her. It further stated that WFI's selection policy was “absolutely retrograde” and asked if the Centre was taken into confidence when the WFI changed it.