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.
“Dekhiye, mere liye abhi jo yeh ‘raita’ phaila kar gayi hain devi ji, hum usi ko nipta rahe hain. 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.“Aur wahan (Gonda) kushti chal rahi hai. Aur kushti kahan hogi, kahan nahi hogi, yeh mera vishay nahi hai. Yeh vishay vartamaan mein jo WFI hai ya Bharatiya Kushti Sangh hai, ye unka vishay hai — ki kahan hogi, kahan nahi hogi, kaun khelega aur kaun nahi khelega [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],” he said.“Choonki main Bharatiya Kushti Sangh ka bahut dino tak adhyaksh reh chuka hoon, isliye apne anubhav ke aadhar par kehta hoon ki WFI kabhi bhi kisi khiladi ko khelne se nahi rokti, kyunki WFI khiladiyon ke liye hi bani hai [Since I was the president of the Wrestling Federation of India 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],” he added.“Agar kisi ko roka gaya hoga toh uska kaaran bhi bataya gaya hoga. Aur woh kaaran aap bhi jaante honge, toh usko padh lijiye [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 medallist 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 apologised 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.
