Page 34 - Latest Updates on Asian Games 2026

Asiad: Uncertainty over selection of gymnasts causing confusion - GFI chief

Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI) president Sudhir Mital on Tuesday said the uncertainty over the participation of Indian gymnasts in the upcoming Asian Games is causing confusion and having a "psychological" impact on the athletes. GFI had written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Sports Ministry, regarding the selection of nine gymnasts, including Dipa Karmakar, Rakesh Patra, and Yogeshwar Singh, for the Asian Games as per the criteria specified by the Ministry. However, during the meeting on July 19, "SAI officials informed that only 2 gymnasts are eligible as per the selection criteria," following which GFI wrote to the Sports Ministry and SAI but still hasn't got any response. "We haven't received any communication, we have written thrice to SAI and Ministry saying that at least nine gymnasts -- two women and five men in artistic and two in trampoline -- are eligible as per the criteria set out by Ministry but what criteria SAI is using now, we don't know," Mital

Paddler Manika Batra loses her kit bag, seeks Jyotiraditya Scindia's help

She was returning from the WTT Contender competition, where she reached the Round of 32 in the women's singles event, in Lima, Peru.

Asian Games 2023: Selection policy 'fair and transparent' - BFI tells HC

The Boxing Federation of India on Monday told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that its selection policy was totally "fair and transparent", responding to a petition filed by three boxers, including Amit Panghal, over their non-selection for the upcoming Asian Games. The national federation added that the new selection criteria formulated in February, were "akin to the policy adopted by many leading boxing nations of the world". "The selection process adopted by BFI is totally fair and transparent and is based upon the assessment of various parameters. Due to the various parameters laid down for the selection of the athlete there is zero chance of biasness," the BFI said in its reply. World Championships silver medallist Panghal, Rohit Mor and Commonwealth Games silver winner Sagar Ahlawat had moved the high court against the BFI after they were left out of the Indian squad for the Asian Games to be held from September 23 to October 8 in China. They had petitioned against BFI's ..

Asian Games 2023: Dipa Karmakar likely to be considered for Indian team

Star Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar is likely to be picked in the Indian contingent for the Asian Games following a request to the Sports Ministry by the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) to consider her case despite not fitting the selection criteria set by the government. Dipa, who brought Indian gymnastics into the spotlight by finishing a creditable fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was dropped from the final list of women gymnastics squad for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games from September 23 for failing to fulfil the ministry's selection criteria. The Sports Ministry's selection criteria states that, "In individual events during the last 12 months prior to the commencement of the event (Asian Games), the performance of the sportspersons should not be less than the performance achieved by eighth position holder of the 2018 Asian Games in measurable sports." Dipa, however, topped the trials held in Bhubaneswar on July 11 and 12 and was part of the initial squad sent to the Asia

Indian FIFA star Charanjot Singh dominates Asian Games 2022 seeding event

India's Charanjot Singh secured the top-seeding in South Asia at next month's Asian Games in Hangzhou after producing overwhelming performances against Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in seeding event for FIFA e-sport. One of India's best FIFAe player, Charanjot's gameplay was based on precision and strategy, as he proved too good for the three opponents. While he outclassed Sameer Gurung of Nepal and Dishan Sheruban Nithianathan of Sri Lanka 2-1 respectively, Charanjot defeated Oytijjho Al Aff Tajwar Majumder of Bangladesh 2-0 to stay unbeaten in the event and gain a favourable seeding. "Reflecting on the results, I feel proud to have got the opportunity to showcase my skills and gain a favourable seeding for India," said the Chandigarh-born Charanjot in a media release. "I had put in long hours of practice and strategising in order to prepare for my opponents, and I am glad that it all worked to perfection. "The level of competition at the Asian Games will be fierce, but I have

Hockey India president says Indian team will travel to Pakistan if needed

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey has said that the national men's team will travel to Pakistan for qualifiers in case it fails to directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning gold at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, starting September 23. The team winning the continental event gold shall receive direct berth in the quadrennial extravaganza as per rule but other nations need to play the qualifiers and this time venues identified are Pakistan and Spain. "We will be trying to get the job done in Hangzhou. But, if for some reason, we fail to qualify, then there are a couple of venues that have been identified for the qualifiers - Pakistan and Spain. So, wherever it happens, we will definitely go," he said during a media interaction on the eve of the tournament on Wednesday. Travelling to Pakistan requires government clearance and it is there to be seen what will be the centre's stance in case situation demands that national hockey team is needed to travel to Pakistan to

Hockey Asian Champions Trophy: Why are coaches complaining about schedule?

Visiting teams, Malaysia and Korea did not like the timing of the tournament. It has been scheduled only five weeks ahead of the all-important Asian Games which has an Olympic berth at stake

Rinku Singh's checklist: Telling dad to "rest" and cricket hostel for kids

Rinku Singh speaks in a matter of fact manner, just like his evening job under arc-lights -- smoke the bowlers to all parts of the park and dip the crowd in delirium. After making the heads turn in the IPL 2023 with that five-sixes in an over for Kolkata Knight Riders, the 26-year-old Aligarh man is ready to rock in India Blues during upcoming tour of Ireland and the Asian Games in Hangzhou. "Humara kaam sirf run banana hai. Match milega toh accha karenge. Main zyada sochta nahin hoon. Present mein jeeta hoon. Uparwala baas dekhle. Apne haath mein toh sirf mehnaat hai. Mehnat karte rahenge, dekhte hai kya hota hai (My job is to score runs. If I get an opportunity, I would try to do well. "I don't over-think. I like to live in present. Hope Almighty keeps blessing me. Working hard is in my hands and I will do that and see what happens)," Rinku told PTI when asked about his reaction on entering the Indian team. "Obviously my parents, brothers, my childhood coach (Masood Amini), every

Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: India to continue with its tactical changes

The Indian men's hockey team will continue to apply the tactical changes which it introduced recently during the Asian Champions Trophy beginning here on Thursday, chief coach Craig Fulton said. Fulton said the hosts will use the August 3-12 tournament to be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium as a platform to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. "We made some tactical changes in our game in our recent games and now we will aim to implement those in the Asian Champions Trophy, Fulton said after the Indian team's arrival here on Tuesday. "I think we did really well in our recently concluded four-nation tournament in Spain. We faced some really good opponents in the past 10 days and performed well against them. We have started playing the way we like to play." India finished third in the 100th anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation international tournament in Terrassa. The team beat reigning FIH Pro League champions Netherlands 2-1 in the third-fourth play-of

Asian Games 2023: Rinku Singh credits IPL performance for India selection

Crediting the "special IPL innings" for changing his life, Uttar Pradesh batter Rinku Singh said he was left emotional when he received his maiden India call up for the Asian Games. Despite a stellar IPL campaign with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Rinku was not included in the squad for the upcoming five-match T20s series against West Indies. He finished as the top run-getter for KKR with 474 runs at an average of 59.25 and 149-plus strike rate. However, the 25-year-old has made the cut for the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled from September 23 to October 8. "When I saw my name I was very emotional, I have been working for this and now I have got it," Rinku Singh said in a video posted by BCCI. "Everyone at home wanted me to play for India and when I got selected everyone danced. Everyone was happy. I am excited to play for India, if given a chance I'd like to do well and our team will win and bring home the gold." Rinku made headlines after hitting fives sixes in a row against Gujarat

Asian Games: Harmanpreet can only play if India reach final of the event

Temperamental Indian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur will only be able to play in the Asian Games if her team reaches the final of the mega event starting September 23 in Hangzhou. Four teams in both men's and women's events -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh -- will be directly playing from the last eight stage, courtesy the ICC T20I ranking on June 1. All the matches will have official T20I status. Harmanpreet, who has been slapped with a two-match ban for her public outburst after an ODI game against Bangladesh recently, is ineligible to play the quarter-final which will surely be against an associate nation followed by the semi-final against a full member nation. Even the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led men's team has got a direct entry into the quarter-final on the basis of its ICC T20 ranking on June 1. The men's event will comprise 18 teams while women's event will have 14 outfits. The women's competition will start on September 19 and end with the gold and bron

Asian Games: With Chhetri and Stimac at helm, AIFF hopes for strong showing

Indian football's "rapid strides in recent past" and an upsurge in public interest in the sport presented a "compelling case" for the inclusion of the men's and women's teams for the upcoming Asian Games, national federation president Kalyan Chaubey said. The participation of the Indian men's and women's football sides in the Hangzhou Games was earlier in doubt as per the sports ministry's criteria of sending teams which are ranked in top-8 in the continent. The sports ministry later cleared both the teams by relaxing the criteria after an appeal from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Head coach Igor Stimac had also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter. "Indian football has been making rapid strides in the recent past. We have improved in football as a nation, improving our FIFA ranking, winning three back-to-back international titles," AIFF president Chubey told PTI in an interview. The Indian men's team won the tri-nation tournament, ...

Soldier who lost leg in Uri landmine to represent India in Para Asian Games

Someswara Rao, an army soldier who lost his leg in a landmine will represent India in Para Asian Games at Hangzhou later this year. He once tried to kill himself, but his mother's phone call saved him

India's road to Fifa World Cup 2026: All you need to know about qualifiers

India have been drawn in group A of the AFC FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers along with Qatar, Kuwait and the winner of the Round 1 clash between Afghanistan and Mongolia

Asiad: Here's why wrestlers want more time for World Championships trials

Wrestlers are making a genuine request, given repeating the painful and tedious process of weight loss could lead to injuries ahead of the big-ticket event.

Indian hockey teams aim for Paris berth via Hangzhou Asian Games

Indian men's and women's hockey teams are keen to win the gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games to secure direct qualification for the next year's Paris Olympics. The men's team, who ended a 41-year wait for an Olympic medal winning a bronze at Tokyo Games, will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai from August 3 in the build-up to the Hangzhou showpiece in September-October. "We have important matches coming up as we inch closer to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. We are excited about our upcoming tour as it also gives us a great opportunity to play against quality teams," Indian men's team skipper Harmanpreet Singh told Hockey India. India will battle it out against the likes of South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and China in the Asian Champions Trophy. "These matches will be crucial for us as we prepare for the all-important Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled later this year. We are aware of what is at stake, and we are not taking anything for granted. In addition to t

Asian Games participation will give Indian football a big boost: AIFF chief

Indian football teams' return to the Asian Games for the first time in nine years would provide a big boost to the players' morale, All India Football Federation (AIFF) chief Kalyan Chaubey said on Wednesday. The Sports Ministry on Wednesday cleared the decks for Indian men's and women's football teams' participation in the continental showpiece by relaxing its selection criteria. Chaubey termed it as an important day for the sport in the country. "It's indeed an important day for Indian Football and a testament to our resolution to develop the sport in India," an elated Chaubey said, reacting to the development. The Sunil Chhetri-led Blue Tigers recently won the Inter-Continental Cup and SAFF Championships. "Indian football has been on an unprecedented rise recently, and I believe this impetus will further boost our players' morale in all upcoming events," Chaubey said. "It's my honour to represent the AIFF and with moments like this, it further encourages our steadfast commitme

Asian Games 2023: Waterpolo, softball side and two other teams miss out

The softball women's and men's water polo sides were among four teams to miss out even as 15 others were cleared by the Sports Ministry for the upcoming Asian Games on Wednesday. In a letter to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), the Indian Olympic Association withdrew the softball women's and men's water polo sides, men's handball and basketball 5x5 teams respectively. "In view of the Team Draw Ceremony scheduled to be held on 27th July 2023 NOC India would like to inform the HAGOC that the entries for the following Team Sports should stand withdrawn," the letter read on Wednesday. "Water polo, Basketball 5x5 Men Team, Handball Men Team, Softball," it added. The teams that have got the green signal from the Ministry include the men's and women's cricket, men's and women's hockey, men's and women's kabaddi, women's handball, women's rugby, women's 5x5 basketball, men's and women's basketball 3x3, men's and women's volleyball side and the men's and women's footbal

Indian football teams at Asian Games: Here's how they have performed so far

Indian football teams will be participating in the Asian Games for the first time since Incheon 2014. Here's a look at their performance at the quadrennial event so far

Indian men, women football teams to participate in Asian Games in China

The Indian football team coach Igor Stimac had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant the team exemption to play in the Asian Games