Why Vinesh Phogat's Registration Sparked Controversy With WFI

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has responded to wrestler Vinesh Phogat's concerns about a delayed registration for an upcoming ranking tournament, clarifying that her entry was processed and attributing initial issues to technical glitches.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Tuesday said Vinesh Phogat "didn't need to make any noise" over her delayed entry into the upcoming ranking tournament, asserting that her registration had already been processed and there was no attempt to block her participation, even as the star wrestler claimed otherwise.

India's star wrestler earlier confirmed that she has successfully registered for the ranking tournament in Gonda after initially claiming she was being blocked from competing by the WFI.

Vinesh's clarification came after confusion over her delayed entry, with the WFI maintaining that technical issues with the registration portal had initially prevented many wrestlers -- not just Vinesh -- from completing the process.

She was eventually able to submit her entry after the link became accessible.

WFI's Response to Registration Concerns

"WFI had given ample time to the wrestlers to register themselves and infact as we speak two days are still remaining. There was no need to make so much noise about it. If the website was not working, the WFI office is always accessible. She could have come and submitted her form in person too, a lot of wrestlers have done that," said a WFI official.

Vinesh is set to compete in the 57kg category at the National Open Ranking event in Gonda from May 10-12. It will be her first competition after her disqualification from the 2024 Paris Games for being overweight.

During the day Vinesh posted on X that she has completed her registration.

Vinesh Phogat's Perspective

"My registration to participate in the upcoming ranking tournament was done this morning. I could not complete the registration yesterday as the link was closed. Thank you for the support from everyone. I am looking forward to competing in my first competition after 20 months," Vinesh wrote on her social media handle.

While Vinesh said the registration could be completed only this morning, WFI sources maintained that her registration was processed and completed on Monday night.

"Her entry was completed at 10:29 pm last night itself and all eligible athletes are being accommodated as per procedure."

WFI's Commitment to Athletes

Meanwhile, WFI President Sanjay Singh said," As a federation, our absolute priority is providing a supportive environment where our athletes can simply focus on doing their best.".

"When recent technical glitches were brought to our attention, we immediately took cognizance and resolved them to ensure that our athletes do not face any hurdles in the future..

"We are entirely focused on moving forward on the world stage, and the current results shows the dedication of our athletes to put India in the high podium," said Sanjay Singh.

Vinesh had announced retirement following that setback but later reversed the decision, keeping an eye on this year's Asian Games and the 2028 Olympics.

In the interim, she also embraced motherhood and entered public life, getting elected as an MLA on a Congress ticket during the Haryana Assembly elections in October 2024.