The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has issued a 15-page show-cause notice to wrestler Vinesh Phogat, accusing her of indiscipline, violations of anti-doping regulations, and breaches of United World Wrestling (UWW) rules.
The federation has also barred her from competing in domestic events until June 26, effectively delaying her planned return to competitive wrestling.
The suspension from domestic competition is also likely to derail her hopes of making a comeback in time for major international events, including the Asian Games cycle leading up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The notice, issued Saturday, comes nearly two years after Vinesh announced her retirement following the heartbreak of her disqualification on the morning of the 2024 Paris Olympics final.
Earlier this year, the former world championship medallist had indicated her intention to return to the sport and was targeting the National Open Ranking tournament in Gonda in UP, scheduled to begin this Sunday.
Gonda is the home turf of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a former MP, who was accused of sexual harassment by six women wrestlers. On May 3, Vinesh said she was one of the six who had complained against him.
When contacted, Vinesh did not comment on the allegations against her in the show-cause notice.
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According to the WFI, Vinesh failed to comply with the mandatory six-month notice period required under the UWW Anti-Doping Rules for athletes returning from retirement. The federation has asked her to respond to the allegations within 14 days.
A major portion of the notice relates to Vinesh’s controversial disqualification from the Paris Olympics, where she competed in the women’s 50kg category.
Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final. However, she was disqualified ahead of the gold medal bout after failing the second-day weigh-in by 100 grams.
In the notice, WFI alleged that her decision to cut down from her natural weight category and subsequent failure to maintain the required limit caused significant damage to Indian wrestling’s reputation.
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“Your failure to manage your weight in the highest international competition, after voluntarily opting to drop down to the 50kg category from your usual higher weight category, resulted in the loss of an assured Olympic medal for India and caused lasting reputational damage to Indian wrestling,” the federation said in the notice.
The WFI has also sought an explanation from Vinesh for allegedly competing in two different weight categories during the March 2024 Olympics selection trials conducted by the Indian Olympic Association-appointed ad hoc committee.
At the time, the federation’s activities had been suspended, and wrestling in India was being overseen by an ad hoc panel constituted by the Indian Olympic Association.
According to the WFI, UWW regulations permit a wrestler to compete in only one weight category corresponding to the athlete’s official weigh-in weight. The federation further claimed it had received three separate complaints regarding Vinesh’s conduct during the trials, describing her behaviour as “unsportsmanlike”.
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The notice also raises concerns over alleged anti-doping rule violations linked to missed whereabouts filings and unsuccessful dope-control attempts.
In the showcause notice, the WFI said that following her retirement announcement after the Paris Olympics, Vinesh informed UWW that she would remain on “sabbatical until August 2025” and intended to resume compliance with anti-doping whereabouts obligations only six months prior to her return to competition.
The wrestler formally communicated her intention to return on December 12, 2025, informing the Sports Authority of India (SAI), WFI, and UWW that she was preparing for a comeback with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the show-cause notice stated.
However, the federation said the International Testing Agency (ITA) notified her of a whereabouts failure on May 4, after an attempted out-of-competition dope test on December 18, 2025, proved unsuccessful.
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The WFI also referred to another missed dope-control attempt dated September 25, 2024, and asked Vinesh to explain what it termed “repeated anti-doping violations”.
Under international anti-doping regulations, an athlete can face suspension of up to two years if found guilty of three whereabouts failures in 12 months. At present, the alleged violation against Vinesh constitutes her first recorded whereabouts failure.
However, the anti-doping rules come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency and the UWW, and neither has so far raised questions over her eligibility.
The federation has ruled Vinesh ineligible to participate in domestic tournaments until June 26, citing Article 5.7 of the UWW Anti-Doping Rules governing retired athletes returning to competition.
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The rule states that any retired athlete seeking to resume competition must notify UWW at least six months in advance and remain available for doping tests throughout that period.
According to the WFI, Vinesh’s December 12, 2025, communication amounted to an official declaration of return but failed to satisfy the six-month mandatory notice requirement before competing.
“As per Article 5.7, any retired athlete wishing to return to competition shall announce it to UWW at least six months before such return and shall remain available for testing during the entire notice period,” the federation stated.
The notice warned that failure to respond within 14 days could result in ex parte proceedings and further disciplinary action.
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“Should you fail to submit your written reply within the stipulated period of fourteen days, the Federation shall be constrained to proceed ex parte and pass such orders as it may deem fit,” the notice stated.
(– With Mihir Vasavda)
