One of India’s most prominent wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat, has been allowed by the Supreme Court to participate in selection trials for the Asian Games, set for May 30.
The top court’s order came after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) challenged a Delhi High Court decision that had ruled in favor of Phogat.
The Supreme Court bench said, “We are not stopping, you go and participate.”
The court, however, flagged concerns about her missing the doping tests and keeping the WFI in the dark about her whereabouts.
The ruling by the Supreme Court comes as a major relief for Phogat, who has won several wrestling titles for India.
WFI had disqualified her from the 2024 Paris Olympics citing her weight.
Her controversial disqualification came after she accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the then head of the WFI, of sexual harassment.
Vinesh Phogat, along with India’s other top wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, spearheaded major protests in 2023 and accused Singh of sexual harassment and intimidation.
Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics led to her announcing her retirement on social media.
While allowing Phogat to participate in the Asian Games trial, the high court slammed the WFI for issuing a “deplorable” show-cause notice to Phogat.
The notice said Phogat had caused “national embarrassment” by being disqualified from the Paris Olympics for being overweight ahead of her gold medal match. The Supreme Court termed the WFI’s action as “vindictive.”
