Brij Bhushan on Vinesh Phogat-WFI row: ‘If someone was stopped, must be reason’

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4 min readMay 12, 2026 06:23 PM IST

Former Wresting Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Tuesday reacted to the comments of wrestler Vinesh Phogat who on Monday said that she was not allowed to compete in the women’s freestyle event by WFI. Singh, who was in 2023 accused of sexual harassment by six women wrestlers, including Vinesh, said that Monday’s matters involving the wrestler does not concern him anymore.

“I am currently cleaning up the mess that madam left behind. Furthermore, the question of where a wrestling match will or will not take place is not a matter that concerns me. …This is not my subject anymore. It is for the current WFI to decide where events will be held, who will compete and who will not. However, since I served as the president of the WFI for many years, I can say from my experience that the WFI never stops any athlete from competing because the federation exists for the players. If someone has been stopped, there must be a reason for it, and that reason would also have been communicated…,” Singh said to reporters as per a PTI video.

Two days after the WFI issued a show-cause notice to Vinesh levelling charges of anti-doping rule violations and disciplinary breaches, barring her from competition till June 26, she reached Gonda for the National Open Ranking tournament, an event for which she had registered before the April-end deadline.

VIDEO | As tensions continue between wrestler Vinesh Phogat and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh says, “…This is not my subject anymore. It is for the current WFI to decide where events will be held, who will compete and… pic.twitter.com/LUTSIwchx7

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 12, 2026

Looking to make her comeback after two years following the Paris Olympics heartbreak, Vinesh was issued a detailed show-cause notice by WFI, accusing her of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations, while also declaring her ineligible to compete in domestic events till June 26.

Vinesh had travelled to Gonda to verify for the women’s freestyle event, but the WFI had asked her to first file a detailed reply to the show-cause notice issued on Saturday. The WFI said the 31-year-old failed to complete the mandatory six-month notice period required for athletes returning from retirement under UWW Anti-Doping Rules.

Speaking to The Indian Express, WFI president Sanjay Singh said rules could not be bent, no matter a wrestler’s stature.

“There was no reason for Vinesh to come here, as she was barred. But when Vinesh came to Gonda yesterday, the WFI briefed her about the reasons for which she was issued a show cause notice. She told me that she will give a detailed reply. Once she replies, a disciplinary committee of the WFI will take a call within 10 days. For the Asian Games, she won’t be able to make it because the trial is on May 30 for women wrestlers. Will she be able to give her detailed reply, and will the committee have time to take a call on her participation? I don’t think so. When it comes to the trials for the World Championships, the WFI will take a call depending on what she mentions in her reply,” Singh told this paper.

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