Vinesh Phogat Appears for Asian Games Selection Trials After SC Relief
Earlier, in its May 22 order, the Delhi High Court directed that Phogat be allowed to compete in the selection trials scheduled for May 30 and 31
New Delhi: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat arrived at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday morning to participate in the Asian Games 2026 selection trials after the Supreme Court permitted her to compete while expressing concern over judicial intervention in sports administration matters.
Phogat will compete in the 53kg category during the trials, despite having participated in the 50kg division in recent international competitions, including the Paris Olympics 2024.
Security arrangements were heightened at the venue, with women personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed at the stadium.
As directed by the Delhi High Court, Aditi Chauhan from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and M.M. Somaiya from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) are present as observers to oversee the trials.
On Friday, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to Phogat, allowing her to participate in the selection process. The court also sought her response to a petition filed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which challenges her participation in the trials. The matter will next be heard on June 1.
Earlier, in its May 22 order, the Delhi High Court directed that Phogat be allowed to compete in the selection trials scheduled for May 30 and 31.
The High Court also ordered that the trials be video-recorded and conducted under the supervision of independent observers appointed by the SAI and the IOA to ensure transparency.
The directions were issued by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia while hearing Phogat's appeal against an interim order passed by a single-judge bench.
The single judge had declined to grant interim relief in her petition challenging the WFI's selection policy and a show-cause notice issued against her.
Phogat challenged the WFI's Asian Games Selection Policy issued on February 25, 2026, and a subsequent circular dated May 6, 2026, which limited eligibility for trials to medal winners from select domestic tournaments held in 2025 and 2026.
According to court records, Phogat informed the International Testing Agency (ITA) in December 2024 that she was taking a sabbatical due to pregnancy and planned to return to competition later. She gave birth to her first child in July 2025 and resumed training thereafter.
The ITA subsequently confirmed that she would be eligible to compete from January 1, 2026.
The High Court observed that her maternity-related absence prevented her from competing in the qualifying tournaments used as eligibility criteria under the WFI policy, resulting in her exclusion from the trials.
The bench prima facie termed the policy and circular arbitrary and discriminatory, noting that they excluded athletes like Phogat by restricting participation to medal winners from specific events.
The court also criticised remarks made by the WFI in a show-cause notice over the Paris Olympics 2024 weigh-in controversy. Referring to the federation's description of the incident as a "national embarrassment," the bench called the observations "deplorable" and said they appeared vindictive, especially when the Court of Arbitration for Sport had found no wrongdoing on Phogat's part.
However, the Division Bench clarified that it had not expressed any final view on the merits of the case and that the pending writ petition would be decided independently by the single-judge bench.
