Photo : AP
(L-R): Vinesh Phogat after defeating Japan’s Yui Susaki in the round of 16 of the women’s freestyle 50kg wrestling match, at Champ-de-Mars Arena, during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
For Vinesh Phogat, justice has never arrived in the form of a clean verdict. It has usually come late, bruised, contested, and wrapped in another fight. Ahead of the Asian Games selection trials scheduled to be held on May 30-31, the Supreme Court upheld the order passed by the Delhi High Court on May 22, 2026, allowing Vinesh to participate, while issuing notice to the Indian grappler, the Centre, the Indian Olympic Association, and posted the matter for further hearing on Monday, June 1, 2026. The bigger question, however, remains whether one of India’s fiercest athletes will merely end up as just another file, or the Indian sporting fraternity has the courage to treat her as an athlete who belongs to the mat, not just a technicality wrapped between papers.