Wrestling Federation issues showcause notice to Phogat

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday issued a detailed show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat, accusing her of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations, and declared her ineligible to compete in domestic events till June 26, 2026, for failing to complete the mandatory six-month notice period required for athletes returning from retirement under UWW Anti-Doping Rules.

It means that the two-time World Championship medallist will have to wait for her comeback as she was targeting the National Open Ranking event in Gonda, starting Sunday, for her return to competition after quitting the sport in 2024 following her disqualification from the Paris Olympic Games.

In the 15-page notice, the WFI alleged that Vinesh’s conduct had caused “lasting damage to reputation of Indian wrestling” in Paris and violated provisions of the WFI Constitution, UWW International Wrestling Rules and anti-doping regulations.

Allegations have flown thick and fast in the last few days. Vinesh had accused WFI of blocking her entry for the Gonda event and also said that she was one of the six complainants against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment.

WFI said that compliance with WADA rules was non-negotiable and the onus to prove her eligibility was on Vinesh.

“We have to see if WADA rules have been followed properly. It has not yet been proved that she has fulfilled the requirements for coming back from retirement. She has to complete the mandatory six-month notice period before she becomes eligible to compete again,” WFI President Sanjay Singh said.

Broad Charges:  The federation has sought her explanation on several charges, including her disqualification from the 2024 Paris Games after failing to make weight, alleged whereabouts failures under anti-doping rules, and competing in two weight categories during the March 2024 selection trials conducted by the then IOA-appointed ad-hoc panel.

The federation specifically mentioned that she is not eligible to compete in any domestic event till June 26 this year, including the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda.

“The Federation must satisfy itself that you have not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation that would render you ineligible to represent the Federation in any forthcoming competition,” the notice stated. The notice also referred to a May 4, 2026 communication from the International Testing Agency (ITA), acting on behalf of UWW, recording a “missed Test” against Vinesh in relation to an unsuccessful dope-control attempt on December 18, 2025.

Referring to Article 5.7 of the UWW Anti-Doping Rules dealing with return from retirement, the WFI stated that Vinesh remains ineligible to compete till June 26, 2026 and therefore cannot participate in any domestic event before that date.

The federation specifically mentioned that she is not eligible to compete in the Senior Open Ranking Tournament at Nandini Nagar, Gonda, scheduled from May 10 to 12.

The federation mentioned that as per world governing body UWW’s rules, any athlete seeking to return to competition from retirement must notify UWW at least six months in advance while remaining available for testing during that period, and she has not fulfilled the condition.

The WFI alleged that Vinesh, in a December 14, 2024 e-mail to UWW Anti-Doping, had declared herself to be on a “sabbatical until August 2025” and indicated that she would resume compliance with whereabouts obligations only thereafter.

However, the federation claimed that her later communication dated December 12, 2025, to the Sports Authority of India, WFI and TOPS-SAI, expressing her intention to resume training and target the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, amounted to a return announcement that did not satisfy the mandatory six-month notice requirement under Article 5.7 of the UWW Anti-Doping Rules.

The federation alleged that only six days after that communication, doping control officials were unable to locate her for testing on December 18, 2025, resulting in the ITA formally recording a missed test against her.

The WFI also referred to a previous whereabouts failure notice issued by NADA on September 25, 2024, after a dope control officer allegedly failed to locate her at her declared residence in Sonipat for an out-of-competition test earlier that month.

The federation said that although the ITA has treated the December 18, 2025, incident as the “first” whereabouts failure within the relevant 12-month period, WFI believes there exists a broader pattern of non-compliance.

Paris Games fiasco: The notice devoted substantial space to Vinesh’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics, where she had reached the women’s 50kg final after a stunning opening-round victory over Japanese legend Yui Susaki.

Vinesh was later disqualified after weighing 100 grams over the permissible limit ahead of the gold medal bout against American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt.

The WFI stated that she had cleared the first weigh-in at 49.9kg on August 6, 2024 but failed the second mandatory weigh-in the following morning despite being given the full 15-minute window and multiple opportunities.

The federation said the episode resulted in India losing a “certain Olympic medal”, and triggered widespread negative publicity.

There are precedents of disciplinary action taken by WFI against wrestlers for weight-management violations.

Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat was suspended for one year by WFI in October 2025 after failing to make weight at the World Championships, where he exceeded the limit by 1.7kg, while wrestler Neha Sangwan was handed a two-year suspension over similar issues.

Competing in two weight divisions: Vinesh had also been asked to explain her conduct during the March 11, 2024 selection trials at NIS Patiala for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, where she competed in both 50kg and 53kg categories against the UWW rules.

At the time, wrestling in India was being administered by an IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee following the suspension of WFI activities.

The federation alleged that Article 7 of the UWW International Wrestling Rules clearly permits a wrestler to compete in only one weight category corresponding to the athlete’s weight at the official weigh-in.

“Each contestant deemed to be taking part of his/her own free will, and responsible for himself/herself, shall be allowed to compete in only one weight category,” the notice quoted from the UWW rules.

The federation referred to complaints received after the trials, including allegations that Vinesh had delayed the start of competition by demanding written assurance that she would get another trial in the 53kg category before the Paris Olympics.

At those trials, Vinesh lost to Anju by technical superiority in the 53kg category but won the 50kg trial by defeating Shivani.

The WFI said complaints received by it had alleged that the delay caused disruption in the conduct of trials and adversely affected other wrestlers.

The federation has asked Vinesh to explain why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against her under various provisions of the WFI Constitution dealing with indiscipline, unsportsmanlike behaviour and conduct prejudicial to the interests of the federation and the sport.

Vinesh has 14 days to respond to the notice.

Asked why past issues had been raised now and formed the basis of the show-cause notice, Sanjay Singh said: “At that time WFI was sidelined. The ad-hoc panel was running the show. And, after the Paris Games, she retired. There was no time to ask these questions. Now that she wants to come back, she needs to provide a few answers.”