NEW DELHI: Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh distanced himself from the ongoing controversy surrounding Vinesh Phogat’s participation in wrestling trials, saying the matter falls entirely under the jurisdiction of the current WFI administration.However, Brij Bhushan defended the federation’s functioning during his tenure, asserting that the body never stopped any athlete from competing without a valid reason.
“Look, Devi ji who has spread this ‘raita’ for me, we are dealing with it. Is samay hum court mein hai (Look, right now we are dealing with the ‘mess’ that madam has created. At present, the matter is in court),” Brij Bhushan said.“And there (Gonda) wrestling is going on. And where wrestling will be held, where it will not be held, this is not my vision. This is the reality currently which is WFI or Bharatiya Kushti Sangh, this is their vision — where it will be held, where it will not be held, who will play and who will not play (And the wrestling event in Gonda is going on. Where the wrestling competition will be held, where it will not be held — That is not my subject. That is the matter of the present WFI or the Wrestling Federation of India — they decide where it will happen, where it will not, who will play and who will not).“Since I have been the president of Bharatiya Kushti Sangh for many years, I can say from my experience that the WFI never stops any player from competing because the WFI exists for the players. players),” he added.“If someone has been stopped, then the reason for that must also have been explained. And you must already know that reason, so you should read it,” Brij Bhushan said.In its 15-page show-cause notice to Vinesh, the WFI declared the wrestler “ineligible” to participate in any sanctioned competitions or events until at least June 26, 2026. The ban specifically excludes her from the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament scheduled to begin on Sunday in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.The former World Championships medalist attended the National Open Ranking Tournament and met WFI president Sanjay Singh. The federation claimed she could not participate because disciplinary proceedings against her were still ongoing under WADA’s Rule 5.6.1, which applies to retired athletes returning to competition.After the meeting, Vinesh told reporters that she had never violated any anti-doping rules and had only missed one whereabouts filing.“If I had broken any rule, NADA India would have given me a show-cause notice or banned me. WADA would have done the same,” she said.“I missed one whereabouts. There are three of them. I had just become a mother at that time. I had an assembly session. I forgot to update. I even apologized to WADA for that. They cleared me and told me I can participate in any international event.”Vinesh questioned the federation’s stand, saying international authorities had already accepted her eligibility.“And here they say they are not satisfied with anything. If I can compete internationally, then they should accept the International Federation’s decision that I can play,” she said.
