The Wrestler Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday (9th May) banned controversial wrestler and Congress MLA from Haryana, Vinesh Phogat, from participating in the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda, to be held from 10th May to 12th May. The WFI issued a show-cause notice to Vinesh, accusing her of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations. The federation declared her ineligible to compete in domestic events until June 26, 2026.
“Based on records available with the federation, public reports, the reasoned Award of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Ad hoc division dated 14/16 August 2024, and correspondence on record, the WFI has reason to believe, prima facie, that you have committed acts and omissions which are seriously prejudicial to the discipline, image, reputation and interests of WFI, the Indian wrestling fraternity and the nation, and which constitute violations of the WFI constitution, the UWW International wrestling rules and the National Anti-Doping Rules 2021,” the notice stated.
The tournament was supposed to be Phogat’s comeback after she retracted from her retirement announcement following her 2024 Paris Olympic disqualification. Phogat was served the WFI notice for not fulfilling the mandatory six-month notice requirement for athletes making a comeback from retirement under UWW Anti-Doping regulations.
The 15-page WFI notice stated that Vinesh Phogat damaged the image of Indian wrestling and caused national embarrassment. In the notice, the WFI sought an explanation from Phogat on some major charges, including her disqualification from the 2024 Olympics due to missing the weight cut, her participation in two separate weight divisions during the March 2024 selection trials, and several whereabouts lapses.
“Wrestling Federation of India issues a show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat. She has been shown cause on several counts, including for breach of whereabouts submission requirements of United World Wrestling and Article 5.7 of the UWW Anti-Doping Rules 2015 governing retirement and return to competition, grave acts of indiscipline and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the sport of wrestling and the WFI,” the federation said.
“The Federation must satisfy itself that you have not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation that would render you ineligible to represent the Federation in any forthcoming competition,” the WFI notice stated. 31-year-old Phogat has been given a 14-day period to respond to the notice.
Notably, Vinesh had announced her retirement from wrestling following her disqualification from the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she made it to the final but was unable to compete in the gold-medal match due to being overweight. After her disqualification from the Olympics, Phogat received a ‘gold medal’ from a Khap Panchayat in Haryana. Soon after, she got back to her politics and joined the farmers’ protest at the Shambhu border.
