Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has been notified by the International Testing Agency (ITA) of a missed out-of-competition doping test on December 18, 2025. It is her first failure at her whereabouts in the last 12 months, news agency PTI reported.In a letter dated 4 May 2026, the ITA stated that the missed test was noted following a review of her explanation submitted on 19 January 2026.
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‘I am a victim too’: Vinesh Phogat identifies himself as complainant in Brij Bhushan sexual harassment caseThe notice refers to an earlier letter sent on January 5, 2026, notifying her of the missed test and asking for her response.The ITA clarified that this was not an anti-doping violation, but a warning under the whereabouts rule. This rule requires athletes to be available for surprise testing.Under United World Wrestling (UWW) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, three missed tests or failed submissions in one year can result in an anti-doping violation and a suspension of up to two years.The ITA said the failed attempt occurred on 18 December 2025 when the Doping Commissioner (DCO) was unable to locate Vinesha during her scheduled 60-minute test period.Under the rules, athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) must provide a one-hour daily slot between 6am and 11pm for unannounced testing.The agency said Vinesh attended the first winter session of the Haryana Assembly that day. She was traveling from Bengaluru to Chandigarh which affected her schedule. It also noted that she recently had a baby. During the visit, she informed the DCO that she was in Chandigarh for meetings.However, ITA said that she did not update her whereabouts details in time after the change of plan.It said athletes must update their data “as soon as possible” after any change and before the one-hour testing window.The agency added that it did not use other options such as SMS, email or mobile apps to update its location on or before December 18.“In light of the above, ZDP finds that you have been unable to demonstrate that no negligent conduct on your part caused or contributed to your failure,” the notice said, confirming that the missed test would be recorded.The ITA said this was its first whereabouts failure in 12 months.Vinesh has seven days from May 4 to seek an administrative review if he believes the missed test was not due to negligence. If they fail to do so, the decision becomes final.This comes months after she announced her return to wrestling in December 2025 after stepping down following the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she was disqualified from the women’s 50kg final for being overweight.
