Kamal Ghorui
Vinesh Phogat arrived in Gonda on Monday and reiterated that she is eligible to return to competition despite the ongoing standoff with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which has maintained that the star wrestler cannot participate in the National Open Ranking Tournament until disciplinary proceedings against her are completed.As per a PTI report, Vinesh immediately responded to the show-cause notice issued by WFI after landing in Ayodhya, arguing that Rule 5.6.1 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code concerning retired athletes did not apply to her case.The wrestler claimed she had already informed United World Wrestling (UWW) in June about her intention to resume competition after retirement and had therefore complied with the required procedures for a comeback.
WFI unconvinced by Vinesh’s reply
However, WFI sources told PTI that the federation was not satisfied with the explanation provided by Vinesh.“The reply is not enough. She has not answered the full show-cause notice. Until a disciplinary hearing is conducted and the matter is decided, she cannot be permitted to compete,” a WFI source told PTI.The federation had earlier declared Vinesh ineligible for domestic events until June 26, 2026, citing the mandatory six-month notice period linked to retired athletes returning under anti-doping regulations.The controversy intensified after WFI accused Vinesh of indiscipline, violating federation rules and anti-doping-related procedural lapses in a strongly worded notice.Retirement row adds more confusionVinesh had announced her retirement after the heartbreak of her disqualification before the women’s 50kg gold medal bout at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.While her husband recently claimed she never officially retired and had merely posted about it on social media, WFI has insisted that UWW communicated in December 2024 that Vinesh had informed the International Testing Agency (ITA) about her retirement.Vinesh, however, continues to argue that she later notified UWW about reversing that decision and is therefore eligible to compete in Gonda.The women’s weigh-ins are scheduled between 5 pm and 7 pm on Monday, with the competition set to begin on Tuesday.
