Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinesh Phogat NEW DELHI: Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has distanced himself from the ongoing controversy surrounding Vinesh Phogat’s participation in wrestling courts, saying the matter falls entirely within the jurisdiction of the current WFI administration.However, Brij Bhushan defended the functioning of the federation during his tenure, claiming that the body had never stopped any athlete from competing without a valid reason.
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Vinesh Phogat controversy: WFI breaks silence, explains rules“Look Devi ji who spread this ‘raita’ for me, we are dealing with it. Is samay hum court mein hai (Look, right now we are dealing with the ‘mess’ madam has created. The matter is currently in court),” said Brij Bhushan.“And that’s where (Gonda) wrestling is going on. And where wrestling will be held, where it won’t be held, that’s not my vision. That’s the reality that the WFI or Bharatiya Kushti Sangh is at the moment, that’s their vision — where it will be held, where it won’t be held, who will play and who won’t play (And the wrestling event in Gonda will be held where my competition won’t be held, where my wrestling competition won’t be held. Subject That’s the matter of the current WFI or Wrestling Federation of India – they decide where it happens, where it doesn’t, who will play and who won’t).“Having been the president of the Bharatiya Kushti Sangh for many years, I can say from my experience that the WFI will never stop any player from competing because the WFI exists for the players. players),” he added.“If someone was stopped, then the reason also had to be explained. And you must already know the reason, so you should read it,” said Brij Bhushan.In its 15-page notice to Vinesh, the WFI declared the wrestler “unfit” to participate in any sanctioned competitions or events until at least June 26, 2026. The ban specifically excludes her from the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.The former World Championship medalist attended the National Open Ranking Tournament and met WFI President Sanjay Singh. The federation claimed she was unable to participate because disciplinary proceedings against her were still ongoing under WADA Rule 5.6.1, which applies to retired athletes returning to competition.After the meeting, Vinesh told reporters that she had never violated any anti-doping rules and had only missed one whereabouts notice.“If I had broken any rule, NADA India would have given me a warning or banned me. WADA would have done the same,” she said.“I missed one whereabouts. There are three. I just became a mother at the time. I had an assembly. I forgot to update it. I even apologized to WADA for it. They cleared me and told me I could participate in any international event.”Vinesh questioned the federation’s stance, saying that international authorities had already recognized her eligibility.“And here they say they are not satisfied with anything. If I can compete at the international level, then they should accept the decision of the International Federation that I can play,” she said.
