India’s Commonwealth Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat has found herself at the center of a fresh controversy after a viral screenshot came under the scrutiny of the Wrestling Federation of India. While the WFI has denied any wrongdoing in the registration for the upcoming National Open Ranking tournament, fans have pointed to a possible discrepancy in the timeline.
The image, widely shared on social media, shows her entry on the WFI portal, which was filed on April 27 at 10:27 p.m., the same night she expressed concerns that she would not be able to register. The timing led to questions, especially after the federation claimed there was no problem with its entry.
Vinesh later confirmed on 28 April that she had successfully completed her registration for the Gonda tournament. For its part, the WFI said technical issues with the portal affected multiple wrestlers and were subsequently resolved.
WHAT DID VINESH PHOGAT ACCUSE WFI OF?
Vinesh had earlier said that she could not register even though the deadline was April 30 as mentioned in the WFI circular.
“I hope to return to the National Open Ranking Tournament. Registration for it was open until April 30. However, when I tried to register, the portal says it is now closed,” she said.
She also said her attempts to reach WFI officials have not received a response.
“I tried to contact the administrative staff of the federation, but they did not respond to my calls,” she added.
The tournament is crucial for wrestlers who want to stay in contention for Asian Games and World Championship selection.
WHAT DID WFI SAY ON VINESH PHOGAT ALLEGATIONS?
WFI president Sanjay Singh denied the allegations and said that Vinesh’s registration had already been completed.
“The registration of Vinesh Phogat has already been completed. Why is he creating unnecessary fuss? We have not stopped any wrestler from participating, all are very welcome,” he said.
The federation also said that the portal had technical issues that affected several wrestlers, not just Vinesh, and these were resolved later.
Vinesh’s successful registration a day later lends some support to this claim, but the viral timestamp has kept the debate going.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
28 Apr 2026 20:06 IST
