Wrestler Vinesh Phogat. File | Photo credit: PTI
Vinesh Phogat arrived in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh on Monday (May 11, 2026) and responded to the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) announcement that she was eligible to come back from retirement, even as the national federation claimed that she could not be allowed to compete in the ongoing National Open Ranking tournament.
The WFI said it could not compete until the disciplinary proceedings against it were concluded.
The national federation had earlier declared Vinesh ineligible for domestic events until June 26, 2026, citing the mandatory six-month notice period associated with athletes returning from retirement under anti-doping rules.
Immediately after landing in Ayodhya, Vinesh responded to the WFI’s no-show notice, claiming that Rule 5.6.1 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code regarding retired athletes did not apply to her, as she had already informed United World Wrestling (UWW) in June of her decision to resume competition after retirement.
In her response, Vinesh claimed that she had formally informed the UWW of her return well in advance and had therefore met the procedural requirements needed to return to competition.
However, WFI sources said that the federation was not satisfied with her response and felt that the wrestler only dealt with the eligibility aspect while failing to respond comprehensively to the wider disciplinary charges leveled against her in a detailed notice issued earlier.
“The response is not enough. She has not responded to the entire show cause notice. Until a disciplinary hearing is held and the matter is decided, she cannot be allowed to compete,” a WFI source told PTI.
The controversy erupted after the WFI issued a strongly worded show-cause notice to the celebrated wrestler, accusing her of indiscipline, breaching federation rules and breaching anti-doping procedures.
Earlier, Vinesh claimed that WFI was trying to block her entry.
The WFI also alleged that a “wrong narrative” was being spread that the selection criteria for the National Open Ranking Tournament had been specifically changed so that Vinesh could not compete.
Vinesh announced her retirement from the sport after being disqualified from the women’s 50 kg gold medal bout at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While her husband said that Vinesh never officially announced her retirement and only posted it on social media, the WFI claimed that a communication from the UWW in December 2024 confirmed that she had informed the International Testing Agency (ITA) of her retirement.
Vinesh, on the other hand, argued that she subsequently informed the world body of her intention to return and was therefore eligible to enter the Gonda tournament.
The weigh-in is scheduled for Monday (11/05/2026) between 5 and 7 p.m. and the competition is scheduled for Tuesday (12/05/2026).
Medal winners at the event will likely get a chance to compete in the World Championships trials later this year, but will not be able to compete in the Asian Games trials as per WFI policy.
Published – 11 May 2026 14:39 IST
