The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to allow wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championship to be held on September 14. The court said that the rules of selection apply equally to all athletes and allowing Phogat to participate provisionally would mean that an exception is being made for her from the eligibility rules applicable to all other athletes.
Delhi High Court's instructions to WFI
The court said on Thursday that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) needs to consider making such guidelines. This will make it easier for female athletes returning to competitive sports after maternity leave to participate. The court focused heavily on the need to strike a balance between the interests of the country and the athlete. Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma made this comment during the hearing on the petition of Olympian Vinesh Phogat. Vinesh had sought permission to participate in the selection trials of the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championship to be held on September 14. After hearing the arguments of both the parties, the bench reserved its order on Phogat's petition.
His career as an athlete is over!
According to senior advocate Rajashekhar Rao, appearing for Phogat, the WFI acted “completely arbitrarily” and Phogat was informed about the selection rules only on 7 September. Rao argued that due to these rules, Phogat was left out of the selection process after staying away from competitive wrestling during pregnancy, childbirth and subsequent recovery. According to Rao, “Basically, this means that he is out of the race for the next two years and his career as an athlete is over.”
However, the WFI denied that Phogat was prevented from participating. His lawyer informed the court that no ban was imposed on him. Before moving forward in the selection process, she was eligible to participate in competitions at the state and national level.
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