Olympic bronze-winning grappler Sakshi Malik on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) supported Vinesh Phogat in her tussle with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) over coming back from retirement, saying that attempts are being made to block her at a time when countries World over are relaxing norms to help new mothers resume their careers.
A defiant Vinesh showed up at the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda even though WFI had declared her ineligible. While issuing a lengthy showcause notice to her, the WFI said she could not be allowed to compete due to the mandatory six-month notice period that athletes need to serve before returning from retirement under anti-doping rules. Vinesh, who is the mother of a 10-month old son, has responded to the notice and refused to back down despite WFI's strict position. Sakshi was a close ally of Vinesh during the highly-publicised protest against alleged sexual harassment by WFI's then President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan but broke ranks after Vinesh joined the Congress party.
"I have been asked my views and I was contemplating for the last two-three days as Vinesh is an MLA from a political party and I have nothing to do with any political outfit. (But) I can give you plenty of examples of countries relaxing norms for their athletes, so that women can continue to play and win medals for the country even after becoming mothers," she said in a video clip on her social media page.
"But our federation has come up with rules to stop Vinesh from making a comeback. I would request the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), the Sports Minister (Mansukh Mandavia) and the WFI to take Vinesh's trial so that she can also win medals for the country and be an example for women by winning medals after becoming a mother," she added.
Vinesh had quit wrestling after being shockingly disqualified from the finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics for being 100gm over the prescribed weight limit. The shattered Haryana grappler eventually joined politics and was elected from the Julana constituency the same year.