Why Did Delhi High Court Deny Vinesh Phogat Permission for World Championship Trials? Check WFI Rules

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was denied entry to the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships selection trials by the Delhi High Court on Thursday, September 10. The trials are scheduled to begin on September 14.

Phogat, who was on maternity leave after the Paris Olympics, had moved the Delhi High Court on September 9 seeking permission to participate in the selection trials. She challenged the WFI's eligibility criteria and sought an exemption from the criteria that excluded her.

Why was Vinesh Phogat denied permission and what did court say?

The WFI issued a circular on September 7 setting strict eligibility criteria for the World Championship selection trials. According to the criteria, a wrestler should be actively participating in the 2025-26 domestic circuit to be eligible for the trials.

Meanwhile, Phogat had been away from competitive wrestling due to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery. The same rules were applied to all wrestlers and the court felt that making an exception for Phogat alone would not be fair or transparent.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma first pointed out that the WFI criteria applied equally to all athletes. The court said that wrestlers who did not participate in the prescribed competitions would not meet the eligibility criteria, regardless of the reason.

“To reiterate, the criteria under the September 7, 2026 circular apply uniformly to all athletes. An athlete who has not participated in the prescribed competitions would not fall under the eligibility categories set by WFI,” the court said.

The court also stressed that the national representatives must be selected through a fair and performance based process. It said that relaxing the criteria for Phogat alone could be unfair to other similarl athletes.

“The interest of the country in ensuring that its representatives are selected through a fair, uniform and performance based process is of paramount importance. The eligibility criteria should not be relaxed in favour of the petitioner alone,” the court stated.

Wrestling Federation of India announced eligibility criteria on September 7 

The following wrestlers shall be eligible to participate in the Selection Trials:

• All medal winners of the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship, Gujarat

• All medal winners of the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament held at Gonda (UP).

• All medal winners of the 2026 U23 National Championship, Rohtak except those selected for U23 World Wrestling Championship.

• Only those medal winners of the 2026 Federation Cup who have been selected for an international wrestling competition in the current year.

• All wrestlers who are currently attending the National Coaching Camp.

• All wrestlers selected for the 2026 U20 World Wrestling Championship in Slovakia.

• Wrestlers found guilty of indiscipline during the current year at the National Coaching Camp will not be permitted to participate in the above mentioned trials.

• The weigh-in will be conducted at 0700 hours on the day of the Selection Trials.

• As recommended by the Chief Coaches, a weight tolerance of 1 kg shall be permitted for the first three weight categories and 2 kg for the upper three weight categories, across all styles.

• The Selection Trials shall be supervised and conducted by highly qualified Technical Officials.

• Past performance shall not be taken into consideration for the Selection Trials. Selection shall be based solely on the performance in the trials.

Source: wrestlingfederationofindia.org

The entire Vinesh Phogat episode has triggered a debate across the sporting fraternity. Maternity should not become a hurdle in the sporting careers of female athletes. There must be adequate relaxation in the rules in such cases.