The Delhi High Court has allowed wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the 2026 Asian Games selection trials
May 23, 2026: The Delhi High Court on Friday permitted Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat to take part in the selection trials for the 2026 Asian Games scheduled on May 30 and 31. A division bench led by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya observed that the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) selection policy unfairly restricted eligibility only to medal winners from specific 2025 and 2026 tournaments, effectively excluding accomplished athletes who had taken maternity-related breaks. The court said the policy failed to provide any discretionary consideration for iconic wrestlers like Phogat despite her international achievements.
The bench noted that Phogat’s sabbatical due to pregnancy and postpartum recovery directly affected her ability to meet the qualification requirements. It emphasised that maternity cannot become a ground for professional disadvantage and criticised WFI’s rigid criteria as exclusionary. The court also strongly objected to remarks made by WFI in a May 9 show-cause notice, which termed her Paris Olympics disqualification a “national embarrassment.” The judges described the remarks as retrograde, vindictive and contrary to the findings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which had found no wrongdoing on her part.
The court directed the WFI to video record the selection trials and asked the Centre to appoint independent observers from the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association to ensure transparency. Earlier, a single judge had denied Phogat permission to compete, after which she challenged the decision before the division bench. WFI had argued that Phogat voluntarily retired from wrestling and did not participate in mandatory tournaments, while the Centre clarified it had not barred her from the trials but could not directly interfere in WFI’s decisions.