Vinesh Phogat to participate in selection Asian Games trials: HC

NEW DELHI: It is “necessary” that Vinesh Phogat be allowed to participate in the upcoming Asian Games selection trials, the Delhi high court said in its order made public on Saturday. Allowing the celebrated grappler to participate in the trials, the HC also sharply criticised the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) selection policy as “exclusionary” and “unfair”, particularly for athletes returning after a maternity break.A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia permitted Vinesh to participate in the trials scheduled for May 30-31 while also directing procedural safeguards to ensure transparency.HC agreed to the suggestion of the sports minister, represented by advocate Udit Dedhiya, that the trials be video-recorded by the WFI, while one independent observer each from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) are present during the process.“The policy and the circular are clearly exclusionary in nature as it does not give any discretion to Respondent No.1 (WFI) to consider iconic players like the appellant in view of the sabbatical taken on account of her maternity leave,” the court observed in its order.HC also flagged concerns over procedural fairness, noting that the grounds cited in the show-cause notice “appear to be premeditated and reopening the closed issues” and stating that “it is necessary that the appellant is permitted to participate in the selection trials in the interest of the sport and justice”.“The standard for selection trials... marks significant deviation from the past practice. The guidelines for the national coaching camps dated 29.04.2025 issued by Respondent No. 1 clearly provides that the respondent has discretion to select iconic players for Asian Games without participating in the coaching to be eligible for the trials,” the court pointed out.