India, April 29 -- The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has barred an under-17 wrestler from competing on the opening day of the National Championships in Sambhaji Nagar after her father produced two birth certificates from different states, exposing glaring gaps in document verification by the administration.

The wrestler (name withheld), who sought to participate in the women's 57kg category for Madhya Pradesh, was stopped during scrutiny after officials found discrepancies in her birth records.

According to documents accessed by PTI, one birth certificate issued by authorities in Madhya Pradesh lists the date of birth as August 26, 2010, but shows the date of registration and issue as November 16, 2021: more than a decade after th...