A large number of Indian athletes are in the dark about their participation at the Asian Games as the country’s sports officials debate sending only medal hopefuls to Incheon.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has sent a list of 944 athletes and officials for government approval to travel to the Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 Games, but the national sports authority wants it cut back for fear the country might be embarrassed on the world stage.
“The IOA list is huge and we have recommended pruning. We don’t want the athletes to cut a sorry figure there,” Sports Authority of India (SAI) director-general Jiji Thomson said yesterday.
“We want to send people with a realistic chance of winning medals since it’s the country’s pride that is at stake. But we are bureaucrats and it’s up to the sports minister to take a final call,” Thomson added.
India sent 609 athletes in a delegation of 933 to the Guangzhou Games in China four years ago, where they participated in 35 disciplines and won 65 medals, including 14 gold.
The sports authority has recommended that the government approve athletes for only 26 disciplines for the Games in South Korea, though they expect at least 70 medals.
The authority said last week that India was not likely to compete in baseball, bowling, fencing, karate, modern pentathlon, rugby, softball, soft tennis and triathlon in Incheon because of the athletes’ poor standards.
The sports minister was to meet officials later yesterday to determine the strength of the delegation, according to Thomson.
The ministry in the past has cleared federations to send athletes so long as they take care of their own expenses.
IOA secretary-general Rajeev Mehta said the sports ministry could not stop athletes from travelling to Incheon if their federations paid the bill.
“I can assure you all the athletes we have recommended will travel to Korea for the Asian Games,” Mehta saidlast week. “SAI has no authority to decide who will go. It’s the prerogative of the federations and the IOA.”
However, the sports authority insisted that government clearance was mandatory.
“According to the new Sports Code, the minister’s approval is necessary even if the federations fund their trip,” Thomson said.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
RSS