In a rousing defense of her former teammate, Rio Olympic medalist Sakshee Malikkh has hit out at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), accusing the body of creating a hostile environment for Vinesh, who is struggling to balance motherhood with elite competition.
Sakshee Malikkha’s intervention follows high drama standoff in Gondwhere Vinesh Phogat, a three-time Olympian and recently elected MLA, was denied entry to the National Open Ranking Tournament. The denial, framed by the WFI as a procedural flaw regarding retirement notice periods, was characterized by Malikkh as a targeted attempt to derail the wrestler’s comeback.
Vinesh Phogat’s return to the mat is a journey into uncharted territory for Indian wrestling. After welcoming her son Kridhav in July 2025, Vinesh’s offer was to compete in the 57kg category in Gonda for her first professional outing as a mother and her first since reversing her call to retire from the sport.
In a video statement, Sakshee Malikkhkh pointed to a global sports environment where motherhood is met with institutional support rather than bureaucracy.
“I can give many examples where sports federations in other countries ease the rules for their athletes so that women there can continue to compete for the country and win medals even after they become mothers. On the other hand, our federation introduced such rules just two days in advance, so Vinesh cannot come back,” Sakshee said in a video on X on Tuesday.
“My humble request to Hon’ble Prime Minister, Hon’ble Minister of Sports and Wrestling Federation is that Vinesh should be tested so that she too can win medals for the country, bring glory to the nation and set an example that even in our country women can continue to play even after becoming mothers, they can win medals and make the country proud.”
THE PAPER WAR
At the heart of the Gonda dispute is a fundamental disagreement over eligibility. The WFI claims Vinesh is ineligible until June 26, 2026, citing the mandatory six-month notice period for retired athletes under WADA Rule 5.6.1.
However, Vinesh opposed it with evidence from the highest levels of global anti-doping. She shared a letter from the International Testing Agency (ITA) – which administers the anti-doping program for United World Wrestling (UWW) – dated July 3, 2025. The letter specifically confirms her eligibility to return to competition on January 1, 2026.
Addressing the missed December 2025 doping test cited by the WFI in a 15-page show cause notice, Vinesh explained that she missed one whereabouts notice during the chaotic period of balancing her newborn care with the winter session of the Haryana Assembly.Background:
The tension in Gonda is the latest flare-up of a conflict that began in early 2023 when Vinesh, Sakshjee and Bajrang Punia led a historic sit-in at Jantar Mantar against former WFI chief Briji Bhushan Sharan Singh. The choice of Gonda, Brij Bhushan’s political and personal stronghold, as the venue for Vinesh’s comeback was always fraught with tension.
With the WFI saying Vinesh remains on the sidelines pending disciplinary proceedings, the message from the Rio medalist is clear: the federation should be building bridges for mothers in sport, not burning them.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
12 May 2026 14:08 IST
