Another setback for Vinesh as wrestling world body supports WFI in disciplinary case: Report

The ongoing conflict between Vinesh Phogat and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has now received attention from the sport’s global governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW).

According to a report in the Times of India, UWW president Nenad Lalovic has backed the WFI’s right to decide on Vinesh’s future participation in wrestling competitions and also take disciplinary action if required.

The report cites messages exchanged between UWW and WFI, with Lalovic telling the Indian body that it has the authority to seek explanations from Vinesh and take decisions after reviewing her reply to the show-cause notice issued to her last week.

The WFI had sent the notice to Vinesh over disciplinary and doping-related matters. The federation raised questions regarding alleged violations connected to retirement and return-to-competition rules under UWW guidelines. Following this, the WFI barred Vinesh from taking part in its events and competitions until June 26.

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Lalovic is also understood to have said that the WFI was within its rights to question Vinesh on issues it considered important before allowing her to return to competitive wrestling.

Why has Vinesh been blocked?

Earlier, Vinesh had shared a confidential email from the International Testing Agency (ITA), which reportedly stated that she would be eligible to return to competition from January 1, 2026.

The controversy has also become linked with Vinesh’s long-running protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Recently, Vinesh publicly revealed that she was one of the six wrestlers who filed a sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan.

Earlier, the identities of the women wrestlers involved in the case were not made public. But Vinesh decided to reveal her identity after the WFI chose to organise the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda, the hometown of Brij Bhushan, at one of his properties.

Vinesh also raised concerns about her safety during the event. However, those concerns were dismissed by current WFI president Sanjay Singh, who is considered a close aide of Brij Bhushan. A few days later, Vinesh was sent a show-cause notice, accusing her of multiple counts of indiscipline, anti-doping rule violations, and actions causing "national embarrassment."

Vinesh was also barred from taking part in domestic events, which shattered her dreams to make a comeback before the Asian Games 2026 and the Commonwealth Games 2026.