New Delhi: After both… Delhi High Court And The Supreme Court Wrestlers are allowed. Vinesh Phogat to participate in Asian Games Selection Trials, attention now shifts to a crucial issue – the weight category in which she will compete in the trials scheduled at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall at the IG Stadium here on Saturday. While Vinesh has expressed her desire to compete in the women’s 53kg category, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) officials have maintained that she should only be allowed to compete in the 50kg division. The High Court, while hearing the matter earlier this week, rejected WFI’s plea seeking to disqualify Venesh from the trial. A two-judge bench allowed her to participate, but its 15-page order did not specifically mention the weight class in which she could compete. Subsequently, the Supreme Court also dismissed WFI’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging its participation, but likewise did not clarify the category issue.Vinesh’s lawyer had informed the High Court that the wrestler plans to compete in the 53 kg category, where renowned wrestlers including Antam Panghal, Nisho Bhanwala and Meenakshi Goit are expected to participate. However, WFI officials say that since the court orders are silent on the category issue, he should compete in the 50 kg class – the category in which he last competed at the international level.The federation linked its stance to the WFI’s “iconic athlete” policy, which allows direct consideration for elite athletes based on exceptional performance. According to WFI sources, Vinesh’s celebrity athlete status dates back to her Paris Olympics campaign in the women’s 50 kg category, where she reached the final before being disqualified for being overweight during the weigh-in.Sources said Vinesh is yet to formally inform the federation about his preferred category for the trials. WFI officials hinted that he may be asked to compete in the 50 kg category.Meanwhile, former footballer Aditi Chauhan and former Olympic gold medalist hockey captain MM Soumya will serve as observers for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry respectively during the trials.
