New Delhi, April 28: Sanjay Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India, has dismissed claims made by renowned wrestler Vinesh Phogat. She alleged that the federation is preventing her from participating in the upcoming National Open Ranking Tournament next month. Singh stated that her registration has already been completed, questioning why she is creating unnecessary controversy.
The Senior Open Ranking Tournament is scheduled to take place from May 10 to 12 at Nandini Nagar College in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. The final date for registration is April 30. Vinesh claimed she was unable to register for the competition because the federation’s portal indicated that registration had closed and that the federation administration was not responding to her calls.
In response to Vinesh’s allegations, Sanjay Singh shared a copy of her registration. He emphasized in an interview that Vinesh Phogat’s registration is already complete and questioned her motives for stirring up trouble. “We have not prevented any wrestler from participating. All are warmly welcomed. Instead of speaking to the media, she should focus on wrestling. So far, 800 wrestlers have registered, and none have reported any issues,” he stated.
Last December, Vinesh announced her retirement just hours after being declared ineligible for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, she later reversed her decision and is now preparing for a comeback after nearly 20 months. In February, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the Haryana Wrestling Association and criticized the selection criteria for the upcoming Federation Cup 2026, deeming them unfair.
Vinesh made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympic finals in Paris, which included a remarkable victory over four-time world champion Yui Susaki from Japan. Unfortunately, she was disqualified from the competition due to exceeding the weight limit during the second weigh-in on the morning of the finals.
Following her disqualification, she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking a joint silver medal in the 50 kg weight category. However, the CAS ad-hoc division rejected her petition against the disqualification, shattering her dreams of winning her first Olympic medal.
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