Vinesh Phogat. (Photo on Twitter) NEW DELHI: Vinesh Phogat has complied with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) mandatory six-month notice requirement for athletes returning from retirement, sources close to the wrestler have claimed, even as fresh controversies continue to cloud her return to competitive wrestling.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Vinesh, who changed her decision to retire in December 2025, is set to compete in the senior open ranking series in Gonda from May 10 to 12 in the 57 kg category. However, her return has been mired in controversy surrounding portal registration issues, failure to reside in out-of-competition testing and questions about her eligibility under WADA regulations.
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How Sawan Barwal broke India’s longest running record and still wanted moreThe final hurdle concerns Article 5.6.1 of the WADA Anti-Doping Code, which requires athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) to provide six months’ written notice to the International Federation and National Anti-Doping Agency before resuming competition after retirement.The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) asked United World Wrestling to clarify whether Vinesh had complied with the rule before announcing his comeback.“Only if she is eligible then she can compete, otherwise not. If Vinesh had asked for an exemption, the authorities would have informed us,” WFI president Sanjay Singh said.However, sources close to the wrestler told TOI that Vinesh formally informed both WADA and UWW in June 2025 of his intention to return later that year and submitted the required Form 1 under Article 5.6.1.“If it wasn’t, how did the anti-doping team from the ITA at the behest of the UWW get hold of Vinesh’s sample collection in Bengaluru in December 2025?” the source asked. “The drug test came six months after she complied with WADA’s six-month rule in June 2025.”However, despite clearing the eligibility hurdle, Vinesh’s hopes of representing India in the upcoming Asian Games remain bleak. According to the WFI’s selection policy, only medalists from the 2025 Senior Nationals, 2026 Federation Cup and 2026 Under-20s can compete in the Asiad trials later this month, effectively closing the door on Vinesh regardless of her performance in Gonda.
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