Vinesh Phogat’s comeback hits fresh roadblock as WFI moves Supreme Court against Delhi HC order

NEW DELHI: Olympian Vinesh Phogat has run into another major hurdle in her comeback journey after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) approached the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court order that allowed her to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Asian Games.

The trials are scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Saturday, but the latest legal move by the federation has now thrown fresh uncertainty over Vinesh’s immediate return to competitive wrestling.

In its Special Leave Petition (SLP), the WFI termed the Delhi High Court division bench order dated May 22 as “ex facie illegal” and argued that it was not given sufficient opportunity to file a detailed reply before the court directed inclusion of the celebrated wrestler in the trials.

WFI questions eligibility, alleges judicial overreach

As per a report by news agency PTI, the federation maintained that Vinesh was “ineligible” under the published selection criteria for the Asian Games trials in Aichi-Nagoya and said athlete selection for international multi-sport events falls solely within the powers of the recognised National Sports Federation.

The WFI further argued that courts should avoid interfering in sporting selection matters, warning against what it described as “judicial overreach”.

Giving details of the dispute, the federation said Vinesh had voluntarily retired from wrestling in December 2024 through communications sent to the International Testing Agency (ITA).

According to the plea, under United World Wrestling (UWW) anti-doping regulations read with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, any athlete returning from retirement must complete a mandatory six-month whereabouts and dope-testing period before regaining eligibility to compete.

The federation also referred to a “recorded missed test” allegedly registered against Vinesh on May 4 in relation to an unsuccessful testing attempt on December 18, 2025. Following that, the WFI issued a show-cause notice to the wrestler on May 9.

The plea stated that disciplinary proceedings against Vinesh were still pending and should be allowed to reach their “logical conclusion”.


Delhi HC had cleared path for trials
The WFI also argued that its selection policy, published in February 2026, did not contain any provision for an “iconic player” or maternity-based exemption. It stressed that selections have consistently been based on merit and recent performances.

The federation further pointed out that 12 wrestlers in each weight category had already qualified for the trials through performances at the Senior National Championships, Senior Federation Cup and Under-20 National Championships, and claimed those wrestlers were not heard before the High Court passed its order.

Vinesh had earlier moved the Delhi High Court after she was denied an opportunity to compete in the National Open Ranking event, which was expected to mark her first competition since announcing her comeback. While she initially failed to secure relief, the division bench later directed the WFI to allow her participation in the May 30 trials in Delhi.

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