New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced the rules and schedule for the 2026 Asian Games Wrestling Selection Trials and one of the big results is Vinesh Phogat They will not be eligible to compete. The federation said only the medal winners of the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship, 2026 Senior Federation Cup and Under-20 National Wrestling Championship can participate. WFI also clarified that past performance will not be considered.
Vinesh, who is gearing up for a comeback after almost 18 months, is scheduled to compete in the National Open Ranking Tournament in the 57 kg category. However, under the newly announced criteria, his previous achievements will not help him qualify. Asian Games TrialsThe women’s wrestling trials will be held on May 30 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, while the freestyle and Greco-Roman trials are scheduled for May 31 at the SAI Regional Center in Lucknow. The competition will cover 18 Olympic weight categories across all three wrestling formats.Meanwhile, Vinesh has also received a warning from the International Testing Agency (ITA) after missing an out-of-competition doping test in Bengaluru in December 2025. Players in the testing pool must be available during the scheduled one-hour slot for surprise testing. Vinesh explained that she was traveling for Haryana Assembly duty and was dealing with personal obligations after the birth of her child, but the ITA rejected her explanation.“The obligation is to be both available and accessible without prior notice at the place indicated,” ITA said in its notice. The agency added that this would count as its first “where failure” in the past 12 months. However, this is not considered a doping violation and will not prevent him from participating in future Gonda tournaments.
