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The Delhi High Court refused to allow Vinesh Phogat to participate in the upcoming Senior World Championships selection trials.
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat | File image credit: PTI
The Delhi High Court on Thursday said that it would look into how motherhood and sporting careers can be balanced out legally after it ruled that Vinesh Phogat will not be allowed to participate in the selection trials for the Senior World Championships.
The question came up during the hearing of a petition filed by Vinesh, who returned from maternity leave after becoming a mother in July 2025 and sought permission to compete in the women’s selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Championships.
In a late-night interim order on Thursday, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma refused to permit Vinesh to take part in the selection trials scheduled for Monday at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
The court said that, at the interim stage, it couldn’t relax the eligibility criteria applicable to all athletes in Vinesh’s favour, as doing so could have implications for similarly placed athletes who weren’t before the court.
“This court is also mindful that selection to represent the country at an international championship carries with it considerations extending beyond the individual claim of any particular athlete,” the court said.
The judge added that the broader question of how motherhood and maternity should be balanced with the demands of a sporting career and whether athletes should have to choose between motherhood and their careers requires careful consideration.
The fresh application was filed in the main petition, through which Vinesh has sought a fair and structured framework for women athletes returning to competitive sport after pregnancy and maternity leave.
The court said that Vinesh’s circumstances surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery would have to be taken into account while assessing the validity of the policy.
But that doesn’t, at the interim stage, by itself entitle Vinesh to a direction permitting her to take part contrary to the eligibility criteria, the court added.
The plea argued that the framework has no provision to account for athletes who are unable to take part in the prescribed competitions because of maternity-related reasons.
The court had earlier sought responses from the WFI and the Centre on Vinesh’s plea seeking a fair and structured framework for women athletes returning to competitive sport after pregnancy and maternity leave.
In her plea, Vinesh said that the two notices issued to her on May 9 and June 17 were part of a continuing pattern of ‘arbitrary and mala fide action’ by the WFI aimed at obstructing her return to competitive wrestling after maternity.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The Delhi High Court ruled that it could not relax the uniform eligibility criteria in Vinesh Phogat’s favor at the interim stage, as doing so could cause unequal treatment for similarly placed athletes who were not before the court. The court emphasized that representing the country involves considerations beyond an individual athlete’s claim.
Ask News18September 11, 2026, 2:15 PM IST
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