Vinesh's registration has already been completed, Why is she creating unnecessary ruckus?: WFI chief Sanjay Singh

New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh quashed ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat's claims of 'WFI stopping her from competing in next month's National Open Ranking tournament', saying her "registration has already been completed" and questioned why she was creating the unnecessary issue.

The Senior Open Ranking Tournament is scheduled to take place from May 10 to 12 at the Nandininagar Mahavidyalaya in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, and the last day of registration is set for April 30, but Vinesh had alleged that she has not been able to register for the competition, as the WFI portal said the registrations are closed and the federation's administrative staff are unresponsive to her calls.

However, the WFI chief refuted such claims and shared a copy of Vinesh's registration exclusively with IANS.

"Vinesh Phogat’s registration has already been completed. Why is she creating an unnecessary ruckus? We have not stopped any wrestler from participating; they are all most welcome. Instead of speaking to the media, she should focus on wrestling. So far, 800 wrestlers have registered, and no one has reported any issue," Singh told IANS.

Last December, Vinesh, who announced her retirement hours after her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, reversed her decision to retire and is eyeing a comeback after nearly 20 months. In February, the wrestler expressed her dissatisfaction with the Haryana Wrestling Association, criticising what she termed "unfair" selection criteria for the upcoming Federation Cup 2026.

Vinesh made history in Paris by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics. Her landmark run included a stunning win over Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki, but was disqualified from the competition after she was found overweight in the second weigh-in on the morning of the final.

However, she appealed against her Olympic disqualification to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) and demanded a joint silver medal in the 50kg weight category. But, the Ad-Hoc Division of the CAS dismissed Vinesh's petition against her disqualification, shattering her dream of clinching her maiden Olympic medal.

--IANS

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