Vinesh Phogat from India got a message from the International Testing Agency (ITA) before the Senior Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda from May 10-12. The notice was given to her after she was not present during one of the doping tests. The ITA says that a doping control officer came to her home in Bengaluru on December 18, 2025. She missed this test because she was not home during the 60 minutes that she was required to be available. Missing this time is a violation of the rules that all players are required to follow.
This is Vinesh’s first violation in the past year. Because of this, she is able to compete in the tournament. According to this rule, if a player gets 3 violations of this kind, the player can be suspended for a maximum of 2 years.
Vinesh was told the news on January 5, 2026. She explained the reason she missed the test on January 19. She said that on that day, she had to leave Bengaluru to go to Chandigarh to attend the Haryana विधानसभा’s winter session. Vinesh also said the reason was due to her many personal duties that included taking care of her baby. Because of this, she had to take care of her baby.
Nevertheless, the ITA rejected her rationale. The agency confirmed her duties as a public representative. Still, the ITA argues that the ultimate responsibility of upholding anti-doping rules lies with the athlete. In this instance, the ITA noted that Vinesh opted not to utilize any of the several available methods to report her whereabouts, including SMS, email, and a mobile application.
The agency has given her seven days to appeal the decision if she wants to contest the notice. Apart from that, Vinesh has been off the mat for almost two years. She recently agreed to make a comeback after she tried to retire for her last Olympics.
This being her last chance to make the Asian Games, she will have to do the bare minimum to qualify. The Wrestling Federation of India has set the standard that one must earn a medal at the National Championships to qualify for the Asian Games. The National Championships have been completed, and the ranking tournament is the only thing that counts for her.
The warning is not particularly important, but breaking the protocols is added now that any notice given in the future will have the ability to restrict her career.