Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games 2026 dream crushed as WFI bars her from trials

NEW DELHI: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced the rules and schedule for the 2026 Asian Games wrestling selection trials, and one major outcome is that Vinesh Phogat will not be eligible to compete in them.

The federation said only medal winners from the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship, the 2026 Senior Federation Cup, and the Under-20 National Wrestling Championship can take part. WFI also made it clear that past performance will not be considered.





Vinesh, who is preparing for a comeback after nearly 18 months, is set to compete in the National Open Ranking Tournament in the 57kg category.

However, under the newly announced criteria, her previous achievements will not help her qualify for the Asian Games trials.

The women’s wrestling trials will be held on May 30 at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, while freestyle and Greco-Roman trials are scheduled for May 31 at the SAI Regional Centre in Lucknow.

The competition will cover 18 Olympic weight categories across the three wrestling formats.

At the same time, Vinesh has also received a warning from the International Testing Agency (ITA) after missing an out-of-competition doping test in December 2025 in Bengaluru.

Athletes in the testing pool must stay available during a fixed one-hour slot for surprise testing. Vinesh explained that she was travelling for Haryana Assembly duties and dealing with personal responsibilities after the birth of her child, but the ITA rejected her explanation.

“The obligation is to be both available and accessible without prior notice at the location indicated,” the ITA said in its notice.

The agency added that this would count as her first “whereabouts failure” in the last 12 months. However, it is not considered a doping violation and will not stop her from competing in the upcoming Gonda tournament.

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