WFI insists Vinesh Phogat compete only in 50kg at Asian Games trials
Synopsis
Despite losing in the Supreme Court, the WFI found another lever — insisting Vinesh Phogat compete in 50kg, not the 57kg she has switched to for her LA 2028 comeback. Announced on the eve of the trials, the move is widely seen as a last-ditch attempt to block her participation through the weigh-in, reigniting the federation's fraught battle with India's most celebrated woman wrestler.
Key Takeaways
The Supreme Court on 29 May refused to stay the Delhi High Court order allowing Vinesh Phogat to compete in the Asian Games selection trials .
The WFI subsequently ruled she may only compete in the 50kg category, not the 57kg she recently switched to.
Phogat was disqualified at the Paris Olympics 2024 final after missing the 50kg weight limit by a narrow margin.
She reversed her retirement in December 2025 , targeting the LA 2028 Olympics , and became a mother in July 2025 .
The WFI's weight restriction, announced on the eve of competition, is seen by critics as a procedural attempt to block her participation at the weigh-in.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has insisted that Vinesh Phogat will be permitted to compete only in the 50kg weight category at the Asian Games selection trials, a day after the Supreme Court declined to stay a Delhi High Court order that had cleared her participation. The federation's stance effectively introduces a fresh hurdle for the 31-year-old Olympian, who recently switched to the 57kg category.
What the WFI Ruled
'Vinesh Phogat will have to participate in trials in the 50kg category, the same weight class in which she competed at the Paris Olympics. As an iconic wrestler, she will be allowed to take part in the selection process, but only in the 50kg division. The weigh-in is scheduled for early morning,' WFI sources said.
The WFI had first moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Delhi High Court's order, but with that bid failing, the federation reportedly pivoted to this weight-category restriction — announced on the eve of competition — in what critics argue is a bid to trip Phogat at the weigh-in stage.
Vinesh's Weight Category History
Phogat began her senior career in the 48kg bracket before moving to 51kg and eventually settling at 53kg, in which she claimed two World Championships medals and also competed at the Tokyo Olympics. For the Paris cycle, she contested both the 53kg and 50kg categories in the selection trials, ultimately securing Olympic qualification at 50kg.
At the Paris Olympics 2024, Phogat reached the final of the 50kg event — a historic achievement — but was disqualified on the morning of the gold-medal bout after failing to make weight by a narrow margin. She announced her retirement the following day.
The Comeback and What Is at Stake
In December 2025, Phogat reversed her retirement decision, declaring her intent to target the LA 2028 Olympics. The intervening period had also seen her become a mother in July 2025. Her return to competitive wrestling, and the switch to 57kg, was seen as a strategic recalibration for a longer runway toward Los Angeles.
The WFI's insistence on 50kg is therefore not merely procedural — it directly challenges the weight-class strategy underpinning her comeback. Notably, the federation announced this restriction on the eve of the trials, leaving Phogat minimal time to respond or seek legal remedy ahead of the Saturday morning weigh-in.
Legal and Institutional Background
The Delhi High Court had earlier ordered that Phogat be allowed to participate in the Asian Games selection trials, a ruling the WFI contested before the Supreme Court. With the SC declining to intervene, the federation's latest move — restricting her to 50kg — represents what observers describe as a procedural workaround rather than a direct defiance of the court order.
The standoff reflects the broader, long-running tension between Phogat and the WFI, which dates to the 2023 protests by top Indian wrestlers against the federation's then-president over allegations of misconduct. How the courts and sports authorities respond to this latest restriction will likely shape the terms of Phogat's participation — and the federation's accountability — going forward.
Point of View
The federation is using a procedural rule — announced the night before the weigh-in — to achieve through administration what it could not through litigation. The timing alone raises serious questions about process fairness. More broadly, this episode exposes a structural problem in Indian sports governance: federations retain enough discretionary rule-making power to neutralise court orders without technically defying them. Vinesh Phogat's case has consistently been a stress test for that accountability gap, and the WFI appears to be exploiting it once again.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the WFI insisting Vinesh Phogat compete only in 50kg?
The WFI has ruled that Phogat must compete in the 50kg category — the weight class she used at the Paris Olympics — rather than the 57kg she recently switched to for her LA 2028 campaign. The federation announced this restriction on the eve of the Asian Games selection trials, a day after the Supreme Court declined to stay the Delhi High Court order allowing her participation.
What did the Supreme Court decide in Vinesh Phogat's case?
The Supreme Court refused to stay the Delhi High Court order that had cleared Vinesh Phogat's participation in the Asian Games selection trials. The WFI had approached the Supreme Court seeking that stay, but the court declined to intervene.
What happened to Vinesh Phogat at the Paris Olympics?
Phogat reached the final of the 50kg event at the Paris Olympics 2024 — a historic first for an Indian woman wrestler — but was disqualified on the morning of the gold-medal bout after failing to make the weight limit by a narrow margin. She announced her retirement the following day.
When did Vinesh Phogat come out of retirement?
Phogat reversed her retirement decision in December 2025, announcing her intent to compete at the LA 2028 Olympics. She had also become a mother in July 2025 during her period away from competitive wrestling.
What is the significance of the weight category dispute?
Phogat recently switched to 57kg as a strategic move for her LA 2028 comeback, making the WFI's insistence on 50kg a direct challenge to that plan. Competing in 50kg requires meeting a significantly lower weight threshold at the weigh-in, and the last-minute nature of the ruling leaves her little time to prepare or seek further legal relief.
