Gauhati High Court Flags Visa Violation Concerns Against Australian Armwrestler
In a significant development in the ongoing legal dispute between the People’s Armwrestling Federation of India (PAFI) and Australian armwrestler Ryan Thomas Bowen, the Gauhati High Court on 25 June 2026 declined to grant ad-interim relief in favour of Bowen against PAFI’s regulatory directives, while simultaneously flagging concerns over Ryan’s activities in violation of his e-tourist visa conditions. Ryan has been promoting his own participation in this tournament and been openly stating to having invested 35L in it, all in violation of his e-visa and once one goes deeper, many other regulatory violations and illegalities. There is apparently a Leave India notice issued against him by the FRRO Guwahati which he appealed claiming his was undergoing medical treatment while simultaneously preparing for his match on July 5th. The 25 June order, in which the visa observation appears, declined to grant him interim relief against the Federation’s directives and listed the matter for a combined hearing on 13 July, the same date to which his extended stay now runs.
The dispute arises from a directive issued by PAFI on 21 September 2025, restraining all State Associations, District Associations, Affiliated Clubs and athletes from any form of engagement, collaboration or association with Bowen. This was followed by an official communication dated 24 April 2026 from the General Secretary of the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF), placing Bowen under suspension and including him in WAF’s list of individuals “not in good standing” and ineligible to participate or be involved in any official WAF-sanctioned activities. A singh bench of the Gauhati High Court had, by its order dated 03 June 2026, already stayed the operation of the trial court’s order that had suspended PAFI’s directive, meaning PAFI’s regulatory actions have remained operative.
Before the Court on 25 June 2026, senior counsel appearing for PAFI pointed to what the Federation described as a pattern of conduct by Bowen inconsistent with his visa status. The Court recorded these submissions, noting that Bowen is “apparently on an e-tourist visa which restricts him to undertake activities only for recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives and attending short-term yoga program.” The Court further noted allegations that Bowen had himself admitted on his Instagram handle to having invested INR 35,00,000 (Thirty-Five Lakhs) into the Eliza Cup, an armwrestling event scheduled for 05 July 2026 in Guwahati, raising questions about whether such commercial activity was consistent with the conditions of his e-tourist visa.
All of this comes days before an event Bowen has been heavily promoting, allegedly in violation of Indian visa regualtions. He was the headline competitor and the promoter of the “Eliza Cup,” a 105kg supermatch against American armwrestler Brad Grundy in Guwahati on 5 July, staged under Pound for Pound Armwrestling, the commercial promotion he promotes and allegedly claims to own. He is not only competing in it. He is putting it together and approaching athletes to take part. The match with Brad reportedly got cancelled as he was unable to secure a visa.
However, the Court made a pointed observation with regard to Bowen personally, holding that “in the event the respondent (Ryan Thomas Bowen) is found engaging in any kind of activities which is in violation of the general policy guidelines relating to Indian visa, the concerned authorities may take appropriate action against him, including the cancellation of his e-visa, as per relevant laws and rules.”
Crucially, the Court clarified that “the pendency of this case shall not be a bar for the concerned authorities from taking appropriate action if the respondent is found violating the terms of e-tourist visa on strength of which he is presently staying in India.” This observation is widely seen as significant, as it effectively preserves the jurisdiction of immigration and visa authorities to act independently of the court proceedings, a point PAFI is understood to have pressed before the bench. The matter will next be heard alongside the connected appeal, FAO No. 34/2026, on 13 July 2026.
PAFI is affiliated to both WAF and the Asian Armwrestling Federation (AAF) and serves as the national governing body for armwrestling in India. The Federation has maintained throughout these proceedings that its actions are directed not against the sport or its athletes, but against individuals who, in its view, seek to exploit India’s sporting ecosystem for commercial gain while circumventing both the regulatory framework of the sport and the conditions of their stay in the country. PAFI’s General Secretary, Dr Praveen Kumar Singh Jadon, has represented the Federation in these proceedings.
The concerns may not stop with Bowen. Other foreign players are reported to be taking part in the same event, again apparently on tourist visas. A sporting event featuring foreign athletes ordinarily requires clearance from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs, along with sports visas for the athletes themselves. On the record so far in Bowen’s case, none of these appears to be in place. There is a possibility of very serious visa violations taking place in which case the Assam and Central authorities may take a very serious view of the same, and will apparently also put Pound for Pound under serious scrutiny.
Preeti Jhangiani, the Actress and President of People’s Armwrestling Federation India is reportedly expected in Guwahti for an event on July 2nd with Parvin Dabas accompanying her.
The 25 June order carrying the visa observation, the earlier interim order staying the civil court order, the Leave India High court interim order and the event’s promotional material are attached.
