Asian Games not an exposure trip: Mandaviya
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday asserted that Asian Games is not “an exposure tour” and the athlete contingent size would be capped at 600 to ensure that only those who can deliver head to Japan for the September 19 to October 4 showpiece.
In an interaction with the media here, Mandaviya made it clear that “travellers looking to make up the numbers” won’t be cleared for inclusion in the final contingent for Aichi-Nagoya.
“Let me make one thing clear that Asian Games is not an exposure tour, it is a platform for athletes to make the country proud with their best performance. So, as I have repeatedly stated, only those who can deliver will travel,” he said.
“Exposure can be gained elsewhere. It doesn’t have to be the Asian Games. Anyone looking to secure jobs through participation certificates will not be cleared. The Games are about performance and we will ensure that,” he asserted while addressing queries on whether athletes from poorly performing disciplines should be considered, though he refrained from taking names.
In its selection criteria unveiled in 2025, the ministry had made it clear that only those with a “realistic chance of winning a medal” would be considered for multi-sport events, including the Asian Games, through selection trials that would be videographed and overseen by independent observers.
In addition, it had also stated that only the top six in the continental rankings would be eligible. The cut-off means that the Indian football team would not be travelling to the Games this time due to their plummeting rankings.
“We have communicated this to everyone that those NSFs (National Sports Federations) which are recognised by their International Federations can send their recommendations to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The names will be scrutinised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and eventually approved by the ministry,” Mandaviya said.
“We have tried to address the earlier practice of federations acting on a whim,” he added.
Hope for Anush Agarwalla?: Among the most prominent selection controversies ahead of the Asiad is Equestrian Anush Agarwalla’s legal challenge against his omission. A well-placed source said the Sports Ministry will back his inclusion despite the legal setback he faced recently.
Agarwalla’s petition, along with that of Sudipti Hajela, that challenged the Equestrian Federation of India’s ad-hoc committee’s decision to leave him out, was rejected by a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court. But it is being heard by a division bench.
The court rejected their objections to the calculation of Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs), the interpretation of the selection criteria, the absence of additional selection trials and allegations of bias in the selection committee.
However, the ministry is likely to back his case.
“His non-selection has been reviewed and the ministry believes he deserves a chance,” the source said.
The Ministry also made it clear that lists published by NSFs after conducting trials “represents only the federation’s recommended/selected list arising out of its internal selection process.”
“Such a list does not constitute the final Government-approved Indian contingent,” the ministry source said.
“...only those athletes, coaches and support staff whose names are included in the Sanction Order issued by MYAS (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) shall be treated as members of the official Indian contingent for the Asian Games,” he added.
Another athlete who questioned her omission was table tennis star Manika Batra but she withdrew her threat of a legal challenge despite maintaining that the national federations had flouted its own constitution by leaving her out for lack of domestic participation.
