Vinesh Phogat hit back at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and gave proof that she was eligible to return to competition from 1st January 2026 and revealed proof that the International Testing Agency (ITA) had cleared her to return to action. The Indian sporting legend is looking to make a comeback to top-level sport after announcing her retirement post the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Phogat declared her intention to take place in a national ranking tournament taking place in Gonda currently but was stopped from doing so by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The governing body of the sport in India, instead, has given her a show-cause notice and claimed she is ineligible to participate till June 2025 due to anti-doping rules.
Phogat took to X and posted the screenshot of an email from the ITA, which counters WFI's claim. She claimed that she was not allowed to register herself in the competition or use the training hall after reaching Gonda.
"I have been given written permission by the ITA to compete from 1 Jan, 2026, I was allowed to register for the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament at Nandini Nagar, Gonda on the 28th of April, 2026. I came to Gonda today to participate but I have neither been allowed to complete my verification, nor been allowed to use the training hall here. I don't want any special privileges, I just want to compete on merit," wrote Phogat on X.
The WFI claimed that Phogat was treated well and given full security from the time she arrived in Gonda and left the city. They claimed she met the top officials of the federation .
"Vinesh Phogat was provided full security from the moment she arrived. As witnessed by everyone present, she met the officials and was informed about her ineligibility to participate, as per the rules and procedures in place. She freely interacted with the media and was not stopped or interrupted anywhere, following this, she left the venue peacefully.The Wrestling Federation of India treats every player equally, and player welfare and security remain our highest priorities. From her arrival in Gonda to her departure from the venue, complete security and support were extended to her at every step," said WFI in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Phogat confirmed she had received the notice from the WFI and claimed they have got the timeline wrong and misinterpreted things. She further promised to give a detailed reply to the accusations made by the federation.
"I acknowledge receipt of the show cause notice dated 09.05.2026 issued by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to me. I will be providing detailed responses to each claim made in the notice, after consultation with my legal team and my advisors. However, I would like to clear up a few matters pertaining to the notice to the public. The WFI has misinterpreted the timelines of my sabbatical from sport and subsequent return to training and competitions. As opposed to the date stated by the WFI in their notice, i.e., June 26, 2026, I have been deemed eligible to return to official training and competition on January 1, 2026. I have official confirmation from the International Testing Agency (ITA) the agency hired by the international federation UWW, the relevant international federation governing doping control for wrestling, pertaining to the same," Phogat wrote in a statement.
"Therefore, I am eligible to participate in the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament at Nandini Nagar, Gonda scheduled for May 10-12, 2026. Having completed my registration for the same, I do intend to participate in the Tournament and mark my return to the mat in a competitive event. With respect to the whereabouts failure from September 2024, and the Missed Test from December 2025, I confirm that I have co-operated with the relevant result management authorities promptly, and that both events do not amount to anti-doping rule violations per the National Anti-Doping Rules, 2021 or the WADA Code, 2021," Phogat added.
Phogat also expressed her desire to play the Asian games later this year and promised to prove her innonce against the accusations made against her by WFI.
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