New Delhi: Double World Championships bronze medallist wrestler Vinesh Phogat will not be eligible to compete in the Asian Games selection trials scheduled later this month, as per Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) selection policy. The trials for Asiad will be held on May 30 and May 31 in Delhi and Lucknow, a WFI circular stated on Wednesday.
As per the circular, all medallists from the 2025 Senior National Championships in Ahmedabad, 2026 Senior Federation Cup held in Ghaziabad, and 2026 U-20 Nationals in Bhilai will be eligible to compete in the trials. Phogat, who announced her retirement in August 2024 after being disqualified on the morning of her Paris Olympics final for being 100gm overweight, reversed her decision last December, but hasn’t made any competitive appearance yet.
She has entered this month’s National Open in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh (May 10-12) in the 57kg division but the competition’s results will not be considered for the selection trials. This is in line with WFI’s selection policy for the Aichi–Nagoya Games uploaded on its website in February.
“WFI has no intention to keep Vinesh or any athlete out (of trials). The circular we sent today is in accordance with our selection policy for the Asian Games. The policy was put on our website in February itself and also shared with the sports ministry. It’s all transparent and in public domain,” a senior WFI official told HT.
“The National Open in Gonda was never part of the selection trials or selection planning. It’s all in the policy.”
Trials for the women wrestlers will be held in New Delhi’s IG Stadium on May 30, while the freestyle and Greco Roman selections will be held in SAI Regional Centre in Lucknow the next day.
The trials will be held across 18 Olympic classes, six in each division. The freestyle wrestlers will compete in 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg, and 125kg while trials in Greco Roman will take place in 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kgs. The much-anticipated women’s trials will be held in 50kg, 53g, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg, and 76kg.
The weigh-ins will be conducted on the morning of the bouts (7am) and a weight tolerance of 1kg will be allowed for lighter weights. For heavier weights, a tolerance of 2kgs will be allowed, the circular said.
“We cannot be bending rules for individual players. That’s not fair on other athletes who come through the system,” the official said, ruling out any possibility of the three-time Olympian making her way to the trials through an exception.
WFI has made it clear that “past performance will not be considered” and wrestlers who do not meet the above criterion will not be allowed to compete. The above point was not mentioned in the original policy but is a late addition.
The trial will be supervised by “highly qualified technical officials,” the WFI circular said.
The next big wrestling event after the Asian Games is the World Championships in October-November. It’s selection policy hasn’t yet been prepared.
Vinesh’s National Open in doubt
Meanwhile, Phogat runs the risk of being ineligibile at the National Open, the WFI said. “As per WADA and UWW rules, any athlete coming out of retirement needs to re-enter Registered Testing Pool (RTP) and needs to be tested at least once within six months. Vinesh had a wherabouts failure on December 18, 2025 and hasn’t been tested yet. This means she can’t compete without being tested,” a senior WFI official said.
WADA’s article 5.7 of the Anti-doping rules 2015 states, “Any wrestler included in the registered testing pool who wishes to retire shall immediately inform United World Wrestling and WADA. It is reminded that any retired wrestler who wishes to return to competition shall announce it to UWW at least six (6) months before and be available for doping tests during this period.”
“Even if Vinesh turns up, she will be deemed ineligible. If she competes, all her reults wil be disqualifed. We won’t be surprised if she decides to skip the Gonda meet,” the official said.
