Vinesh cleared to participate, Asian Games trials on Saturday

Having received the Supreme Court’s go-ahead to participate in the Asian Games selection trials, the spotlight will firmly be on Vinesh Phogat at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

The SC, however, made its directive to the Wrestling Federation of India, allowing Vinesh to participate, conditional with the next hearing on Monday. Vinesh, who had been barred from participating in the open ranking tournament earlier this month, is yet to confirm her participation, having previously registered in the 57kg.

With trials scheduled in the six Olympic weight categories – 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, 76kg – her participation would add interest to what is likely to be an already exciting outing, especially in the lower weight categories. Antim Panghal, who lost out in the trials for the Asian Championships, and Minakshi are expected to renew their rivalry in the 53kg category while Manisha Bhanwala will be looking to assert her claim in the 57kg section.

It would also be interesting to see how many from the recent under-23 Asian Championships turn up for the trials across the six categories, given the fact that five of the six, including Tapasya in the 57kg, won gold in Vietnam just three days ago.

The WFI had listed only medal winners at three events – National Championships 2025, Federation Cup 2026 and the under-20 Nationals 2026 – as eligible for participation, refusing Vinesh entry for not participating in the designated competitions.

The men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman trials would be held on Sunday in Lucknow.