CHENNAI: Even before Vinesh Phogat hits the mat for her first official competition after Paris Olympic heartbreak, drama seems to be following her. With less than a week remaining for the National Wrestling Ranking Series, the International Testing Agency (ITA) has recorded her first missed test through a letter dated May 4. According to ITA, her first missed test has been recorded and according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, if she misses two more, she can be penalised. ITA is the dope-testing agency for United World Wrestling (UWW) and is governed by UWW anti-doping rules.
The ITA in a statement has said that Dope Control Officials (DCOs) reached her location in Bengaluru, provided on the whereabouts section of the testing agency on December 18, 2025. However, she was not to be found within the stipulated one-hour window. The DCO went unannounced for an out-of-competition test at 10pm.
She is still part of the Registered Testing Pool of the UWW. She had announced retirement after missing the scale by just 50 grams on the day of the women's 50kg final at the 2024 Games. The ITA sent her notice on January 5 and Vinesh responded on January 19. The ITA has said that the two-time World Championships medallist's explanation was not enough to grant her reprieve.
"The ITA notes that, further to your explanations, you are an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Indian National Congress, and you were required to attend the First Winter Session of the Haryana Legislative Assembly on 18 December 2025, which was the day of the unsuccessful attempt," the letter sent to the wrestler said.
"On that day, you travelled from Bengaluru (India) to Chandigarh (India), which disrupted your usual routine. In addition, you had recently welcomed a child, resulting in substantial personal responsibilities during this period. When the Doping Control Officer (“DCO”) called you during the unsuccessful attempt, you acknowledged that you were in Chandigarh for meetings and demonstrated cooperation."
The ITA's notification of charge said that she was unavailable and had violated Article 5.5 of the UWW ADR, Article 4.8.8.3 of the WADA International Standard for Testing and Investigations.
The ITA argued that she has to be present at the address provided during the whereabouts filing and DCOs can come unannounced during that one-hour window. If she were not present at the recorded place, she needed to change address before the DCO's visit.