Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games 2026 dream crushed as WFI bars her from trials

NEW DELHI: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced the rules and docket for the 2026 Asian Games wrestling enactment trials, and 1 large result is that Vinesh Phogat volition not beryllium eligible to vie successful them. The federation said lone medal winners from the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship, the 2026 Senior Federation Cup, and the Under-20 National Wrestling Championship tin instrumentality part. WFI besides made it wide that past show volition not beryllium considered.

Vinesh, who is preparing for a comeback aft astir 18 months, is acceptable to vie successful the National Open Ranking Tournament successful the 57kg category. However, nether the recently announced criteria, her erstwhile achievements volition not assistance her suffice for the Asian Games trials.The women’s wrestling trials volition beryllium held connected May 30 astatine Indira Gandhi Stadium successful New Delhi, portion freestyle and Greco-Roman trials are scheduled for May 31 astatine the SAI Regional Centre successful Lucknow. The contention volition screen 18 Olympic value categories crossed the 3 wrestling formats.At the aforesaid time, Vinesh has besides received a informing from the International Testing Agency (ITA) aft missing an out-of-competition doping trial successful December 2025 successful Bengaluru.

Athletes successful the investigating excavation indispensable enactment disposable during a fixed one-hour slot for astonishment testing. Vinesh explained that she was travelling for Haryana Assembly duties and dealing with idiosyncratic responsibilities aft the commencement of her child, but the ITA rejected her explanation.“The work is to beryllium some disposable and accessible without anterior announcement astatine the determination indicated,” the ITA said successful its notice. The bureau added that this would number arsenic her archetypal “whereabouts failure” successful the past 12 months. However, it is not considered a doping usurpation and volition not halt her from competing successful the upcoming Gonda tournament.