‘They want me to take sanyaas, but I won’t give up’: Vinesh Phogat | More sports News

“What do you expect me to do? Accept defeat? Shall I take sanyaas and stay away? So that their conspiracy against me succeeds? They are not allowing me. They want to see me tired and retired. All I am asking is a fair chance to compete but they are insisting that first I reply to their notice. This is all conspiracy,” she said after meeting WFI officials.Vinesh, who has publicly identified herself as one of the six women wrestlers who accused Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment during the Jantar Mantar protests in 2023, had announced the national open ranking series event as the launchpad of her comeback in the journey to the Los Angeles Olympics.Vinesh also dismissed accusations that her comeback bid is “politically motivated”. “You are calling me ‘tukde tukde gang’, then who are you (referring to Singh and WFI)?” I have given 20 years to Indian wrestling. I have given my heart and soul to this sport. Athletes are under mental pressure. I am not feeling safe in this environment. They want me to retire so their conspiracy succeeds,” she claimed.But the WFI remained unmoved. “On five points, the WFI has given notice to her. Till the time she doesn’t respond to the allegations, we won’t let her participate. For this tournament, she remains suspended,” WFI president Sanjay Singh said.Inside the registration hall, Vinesh attempted to complete physical verification for her weight category but was denied permission to proceed. Later, she also claimed she was prevented from training at the indoor wrestling hall inside the complex. The federation officials, however, said they were unaware of any such denial.The federation maintained that disciplinary proceedings against her were still pending and that she remained suspended from domestic competition until June 26, 2026. Yet Vinesh insisted she had fulfilled all anti-doping and procedural requirements mandated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and United World Wrestling (UWW).“I received the notice on Saturday and did not have enough time to respond properly because I was preparing for the competition and cutting weight. They gave me 14 days to submit a detailed reply, which I’ll surely give. But my request was not to stop me from competing during that period.”The confrontation escalated further when Vinesh released on social media a confidential July 3, 2025 communication from the International Testing Agency (ITA), which handles anti-doping processes for UWW. The mail, sent by testing officer Estelle Daloz, clearly stated that she was eligible to return to competition from Jan 1, 2026.“I have been given written permission by the ITA to compete from Jan 1, 2026. If I had violated any rule, then the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) would have given me a show-cause notice. Or they would have banned me. Or WADA would have given me a show-cause notice. I had missed one whereabouts. And there are three of them. I had become a mother at that time. I had an assembly session. I forgot to update. I even apologised to WADA for that. They gave me a clean chit. They told me that I can participate in any international event,” she added.TOI had earlier reported that Vinesh had complied with the comeback procedures laid down by UWW and WADA and had submitted her return-to-competition document as early as June 2025. The wrestler revealed she had already undergone two anti-doping tests since announcing her comeback on Dec 18, 2025 and had cleared both.The federation later released a statement stating that Vinesh was provided full security from the moment she arrived at the tournament venue. “As witnessed by everyone present, she met the officials and was informed about her ineligibility to participate, as per the rules and procedures in place. She freely interacted with the media and was not stopped or interrupted anywhere, following this, she left the venue peacefully. From her arrival in Gonda to her departure from the venue, complete security and support were extended to her at every step,” the statement read.PTI adds, Looking for a place to train ahead of the women’s weigh-in scheduled between 5pm and 7pm on Monday, Vinesh searched for a warm-up area inside the venue only to find it locked. “Ab training bhi nahi kar sakti kya? Lock toh khulwa do kam se kam (I can’t even train now. At least open the lock),” she said in frustration.She then moved to the SAI Khelo India Centre hoping to find mats to train on, but there were none available there either.“We are trying in every way but they are not letting me wrestle. I came here putting my life and mind at stake,” she said before leaving the venue.Despite the setback, Vinesh asserted that she would continue fighting. “I am working hard honestly and truthfully. God knows I am clean. If I am right, he will give me strength. We will fight for our rights,” she said. It is learnt that Vinesh, Rathee and her team left for Delhi after taking a late evening flight from Lucknow.