The Supreme Court on Friday permitted wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the Asian Games 2026, scheduled to be held on May 30 and 31, providing a major boost to the celebrated athlete’s bid for a return to international competition.
A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) challenging a Delhi High Court ruling that allowed Phogat to compete in the trials.
Observing that expectations had already been raised following the High Court’s decision, the bench remarked that it would not be appropriate to deny her participation at this stage.
“Today, at this stage, the High Court having passed the order, the hope and expectations have risen. To tell her to go back home and we can’t do anything will not be proper,” the bench told the WFI’s counsel.
The Supreme Court directed that Phogat be allowed to participate in the selection trials while clarifying that it remained concerned about the manner in which the High Court had dealt with the matter. The case has been posted for further hearing next week.
On May 22, a division bench of the Delhi High Court had allowed Phogat to take part in the trials, holding that the WFI’s selection policy was exclusionary because it did not provide discretion for considering an iconic athlete returning from a maternity break.
The High Court had also ordered the WFI to video-record the trials and ensure the presence of independent observers from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
The court observed that previous selection practices had allowed discretion for the inclusion of distinguished athletes and stressed that motherhood should not become a reason to exclude female sportspersons from competition.
“Motherhood cannot be treated as a professional impediment or a circumstance warranting adverse treatment,” the High Court had said.
The court had further criticised the WFI for describing Phogat’s disqualification from the 2024 Paris Olympics as a “national embarrassment” in a show-cause notice, calling the remark “deplorable” and “misconceived”.
Phogat has challenged the WFI’s selection policy, arguing that the eligibility criteria overlapped with her maternity leave and post-partum recovery period, effectively preventing her from qualifying for the trials.
Earlier this month, the WFI declared Phogat ineligible to participate in domestic events until June 26, citing a mandatory six-month notice period linked to athletes returning from retirement under anti-doping regulations. Despite this, she participated in the National Open Ranking Tournament in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda.
Phogat was one of the leading faces of the women wrestlers’ protest in 2023 against former WFI president and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment.
In August 2024, she was disqualified from the 50-kg category final at the Paris Olympics after being found 100 grams overweight during the morning weigh-in.
