New Delhi: The Indian contingent for the Asian Games in Japan is expected to have around 600 athletes from a possible 35 disciplines. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday that the government will strictly adhere to its selection criteria before giving final approval to the contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya Games to be held from September 19 to October 4.
As per the selection criteria announced last year, a sixth-place finish at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games is the benchmark for individual events, while a top-eight finish at the continental championships or a top-eight ranking in Asia is the selection standard for team sports. The criteria also aimed to ensure that athletes with a “real chance of winning a medal” are considered for participation in multi-disciplinary sports events.
Mandaviya said multi-sport events like the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games will not be treated as “exposure tours” as India aims to become globally competitive and increase its Olympic medal tally.
“Asian Games and CWG are not exposure tours. These multi-disciplinary sports events are meant for our athletes to showcase their potential and make the country proud,” Mandaviya said during a media interaction.
“There are many other international events where the government is sending athletes for exposure. We are asking federations to prepare our athletes for the LA 2028 Olympic Games through these competitions and exposure tours. Give them as many international competitions as possible so that they can give their best performance at the Olympics. We want to improve the medal tally at the LA Olympics,” he said.
For the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, the Indian contingent will have 126 athletes in 13 sports.
The Asian Games programme has a total of 41 sports. It has been learnt that 33 sports have been confirmed in the Indian contingent list, while a few more could be added. Athletes from karate and handball — the two disciplines embroiled in governance issues — will be considered for selection. Mandaviya said eligible athletes will not suffer because of governance crises within federations. The men’s volleyball team is also expected to be included in the Asian Games contingent. The Indian volleyball team impressed with a bronze medal at the AVC Volleyball Cup in Ahmedabad recently, improving its ranking to No. 7 in Asia (FIVB rankings).
However, the football teams have not made the cut. The men’s and women’s football teams were cleared by the government for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games despite not meeting the criterion of being among the top eight in Asia. No such exemptions will be made this time as the Sports Ministry is firm on sticking to its selection policy. The Indian men’s football team is currently ranked 26th in the AFC rankings.
According to Sports Ministry officials, the government’s framing of guidelines has made the selection process for the two multi-disciplinary events transparent.
The final list of the contingent for the Asian Games will be approved only after the evaluation of the teams sent by the federations. Only athletes and support staff who are part of the sanctioned contingent will travel for the Asian Games, according to Sports Ministry officials.