Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, May 29: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Asian Games, providing major relief to the decorated Indian grappler amid an ongoing legal dispute with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
The selection trials are scheduled to be held on May 30 and 31.
A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe heard the WFI’s appeal challenging an earlier Delhi High Court order permitting Phogat to compete.
“Today at this stage, the high court having passed the order, the hope and expectations have risen. To tell her to go back home and we can’t do anything, will not be proper. We are very bold in telling you this,” the Supreme Court bench observed while addressing the federation’s counsel.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had ruled in favour of Phogat, allowing her participation in the selection process and intensifying the legal battle surrounding her return to competitive wrestling after maternity leave.
In its May 22 order, the High Court observed that the WFI’s selection policy failed to adequately consider exceptional athletes returning after maternity breaks and described the existing criteria as exclusionary.
“The appellant (Phogat) shall be permitted to participate in the selection trials for Asian Games, 2026, which are scheduled for May 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026,” the High Court had stated.
The court also directed that the trials be video-recorded and monitored by independent observers from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
During the proceedings, the High Court underlined that motherhood should not become a professional disadvantage for female athletes.
The bench further noted that the WFI’s current policy marked a departure from earlier practices where selectors had discretionary powers to accommodate accomplished athletes.
The court also criticised the federation for referring to Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics as a “national embarrassment” in a show-cause notice issued earlier this month.
The remarks were described by the court as “deplorable”, “ex-facie misconceived” and comments that “ought to have been avoided”.
Phogat had challenged the federation’s eligibility norms, arguing that the qualification period unfairly overlapped with her pregnancy and post-partum recovery, effectively excluding her from the trials.
Earlier this month, the WFI had declared her ineligible for domestic competitions until June 26, citing anti-doping regulations applicable to athletes returning from retirement.
Despite the restriction, Phogat participated in the National Open Ranking Tournament held in Gonda.
The former World Championship medallist was also among the leading faces of the wrestlers’ protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023.
In August 2024, Phogat suffered a heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris Olympics final after being found 100 grams overweight during the official weigh-in on the morning of the bout.