Vinesh feels that the WFI misinterpreted the timeline of her sabbatical and return to competition.
| Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
At the Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya here, where she rose to prominence in 2012 by winning her maiden National title at the age of 18, double Worlds bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat asserted that she was eligible to make a comeback at the senior Open ranking tournament but the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) prevented her in a ‘pre-planned’ way.
The Open Ranking venue, owned by former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, attracted all the media attention as Vinesh, accompanied by her team, came here for pre-competition verification.
The WFI, which had served Vinesh a show-cause notice and rendered her ineligible to compete on the ground that she had not informed it six months prior to coming out of retirement, turned down her request.
After meeting WFI president Sanjay Singh, Vinesh tore into the national federation and blamed Brij Bhushan in his own backyard.
“I need time to explain in detail but how can you hold me guilty before that?” she said on Monday.
Vinesh said she informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about her comeback in June 2025.
About her whereabouts failure, Vinesh said, “I apologised to the WADA. After missing one (on December 18), I was tested twice and cleared to participate in international events. I want a fair chance.
“It’s pre-planned. Brij Bhushan is behind all this.”
In a statement, Vinesh said the WFI ‘misinterpreted’ the timeline of her sabbatical and subsequent return to competition and she had the official confirmation from International Testing Agency (ITA) about her eligibility to compete from January 1, 2026. She released a document to back her claim.
Vinesh said her whereabouts failures did not amount to any anti-doping rule violations.
Sanjay said the WFI “didn’t work in a pre-planned way. We will consider Vinesh’s case after receiving her reply to the show-cause”.
Published – May 11, 2026 11:49 pm IST
