India, May 7 -- Vinesh Phogat's fears have come true. Amid an ongoing bitter standoff with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the decorated wrestler's comeback bid suffered a crushing blow on Wednesday when the federation dashed her hopes of competing at the Asian Games. WFI stated that next week's National Open Ranking tournament, where Phogat will compete for the first time in nearly 20 months, is not an eligible event for Asian Games selection.

The National Open Ranking Tournament 2026 is scheduled from May 10 to 12 in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, and Phogat was eyeing her comeback to professional wrestling through the competition. It will mark her return to the mat for the first time since the Paris Olympics 2024, where she missed out...