3 min readMay 7, 2026 10:58 PM IST
Vinesh Phogat is not the only wrestler whose hopes of competing in the Asian Games selection trials have been dashed by the Wrestling Federation of India. A group of India’s top U-23 wrestlers are caught in the same bind after the federation scheduled the trials for May 30 and 31 — just four days after the U-23 Asian Championship in Da Nang, Vietnam concludes on May 26.
On Thursday, the WFI issued a directive stating that any athlete who withdraws from the U-23 Asian Championship will also be barred from the Asian Games trials.
The order affects some of India’s top wrestlers — including 2025 U-20 World Champion Kajal, Asian Championship medallists Mansi Lather and Neha Sangwan, and Zagreb Open bronze medallist Vicky. After Wednesday’s announcement of the trials, a few wrestlers who have routinely represented India at senior level in the last 12 months considered withdrawing from the age-group competition to focus on the Asiad selection. The WFI moved quickly to shut that door.
In a circular issued on Thursday, the federation said the Indian teams for the U-23 Asian Championship had already been selected and all necessary formalities completed — including registration in UWW Athena, visa processing and related documentation. “At this stage, it is not possible to make any amendment or replacement in the Indian squad already finalised and submitted,” the letter, signed by WFI president Sanjay Singh, read. “Any selected wrestler who withdraws his/her name from participation in the aforesaid Championship shall not be permitted to participate in the selection trials for the forthcoming Asian Games.”
A coach called the decision draconian. “This is very harsh. How can you force any wrestler to compete in two tournaments in less than a week? The U-23 team will return from Vietnam only on May 27, if everything goes as planned. Now, immediately after returning, the men will have to travel to Lucknow and the women will go to Delhi,” the coach said.
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The compressed schedule also means wrestlers will be forced to cut weight twice in quick succession — once for the U-23 Asian Championship and again for the trials. The physical toll of cutting weight twice in under a week is significant, even with the 1kg exemption the federation has offered for the trials.
The WFI has announced that the Asian Games trials for women will be held on May 30 in New Delhi and a day later in Lucknow for men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. Only medal winners from the 2025 National Championships, held in December, and last February’s Federation Cup will be eligible to compete.
That criteria ends Vinesh’s hopes entirely. The former world championship finalist, who gave birth in July last year, did not compete in either tournament. She had registered for the National Open Ranking tournament in Gonda from May 10 to 12, expecting it would open a path to the Asiad trials. The WFI has made clear it will not be considered for entry.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
