New Delhi [India], May 28 (ANI): The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court’s May 22 order permitting wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the Asian Games 2026 selection trials.The matter is scheduled to be heard on Friday by a bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe.In its May 22 order, the Delhi High Court directed that Phogat be allowed to take part in the selection trials slated for May 30 and 31.The Court further ordered that the trials be video-recorded and conducted under the supervision of independent observers appointed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to ensure transparency in the process.The directions were issued by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia while hearing Phogat’s appeal against an interim order passed by a single-judge Bench.The single judge had declined to grant interim relief in her pending writ petition challenging the WFI’s selection policy as well as a show-cause notice issued against her.Phogat had challenged the WFI’s Asian Games Selection Policy dated February 25, 2026 and a subsequent circular dated May 6, 2026, which restricted eligibility for the selection trials to medal winners from specified domestic tournaments conducted in 2025 and 2026.According to the order, Phogat had informed the International Testing Agency (ITA) in December 2024 that she was taking a sabbatical on account of pregnancy and intended to return to competition later. She gave birth to her first child in July 2025 and resumed training thereafter. The ITA subsequently confirmed that she would be eligible to compete from January 1, 2026, onwards.The Court observed that because of her maternity-related absence, Phogat could not participate in the championships that formed the basis for eligibility under the WFI policy, resulting in her exclusion from the selection trials. The Bench prima facie found the policy and circular to be arbitrary and discriminatory as they restricted participation only to medal winners from specific events, thereby excluding athletes like Phogat.The Court also made strong remarks against the observations made by WFI in the show-cause notice issued to Phogat over the Paris Olympics 2024 weigh-in controversy.Referring to remarks describing the incident as a “national embarrassment,” the Bench termed such observations “deplorable” and said they appeared vindictive and premeditated, particularly when the Court of Arbitration for Sport had already observed that there was no wrongdoing on Phogat’s part.At the same time, the Division Bench clarified that it had not expressed any final opinion on the merits of the case and that the pending writ petition before the Single Judge would be decided independently on its own merits. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)