Delhi High Court denies Vinesh Phogat interim relief to participate in World Wrestling Championships trials

The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to grant wrestler Vinesh Phogat interim relief to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships starting on September 14. .Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said that the eligibility criteria prescribed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the World Wrestling Championships could not be relaxed exclusively in Phogat’s favour at the interim stage.“The interest of the country in ensuring that its representatives are selected through a fair, uniform and performance- based process is of paramount importance. At this interim stage, therefore, this Court is of the view that the eligibility criteria applicable to all athletes ought not to be relaxed in favour of the petitioner alone, particularly when such relaxation may have consequences for other similarly situated athletes who are not before this Court,” the Court observed.