In a fiery outburst on X, Olympic hopeful Vinesh Phogat has criticized the Haryana Wrestling Association for what she calls discriminatory selection norms for the 2026 Federation Cup. The rules, she claims, betray thousands of dedicated wrestlers by restricting trial access to a narrow group.
Only winners from the 2025 Senior State meets and international participants that year qualify, leaving 2024 National medalists out in the cold. Phogat raised alarms over sub-junior national champions whose efforts now seem futile and injured athletes treated like outcasts. ‘Are injured players criminals now?’ she quipped sarcastically.
Phogat painted a grim picture: athletes hitting age limits for 2025 Nationals are prematurely excluded from 2026 glory, despite upcoming global showdowns like the Asian Games. ‘This isn’t injustice to the sport; it’s a blatant mockery of athletes’ lifelong struggles,’ she declared. She called for transparent, open trials at state levels to unearth new talent and ensure merit-based selection.
Directing her plea to CM Nayab Singh Saini, Phogat demanded immediate action. Her voice amplifies a broader call for reform in wrestling bodies, where opaque processes threaten to stifle India’s medal prospects on the world stage.