Asian Games 2023: Indian football teams to participate, government to make exception – Report

As per the guidelines for team events of Asian Games 2023, it was stipulated that teams must be among the top eight in the continent in the last one-year period in order to be eligible for selection. The men’s football team is currently ranked 18th in Asia while the women’s team is at 10th.

Reports already emerged that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), who are in charge of sending entries to the Asian body for the Asian Games, earlier rejected their entries for the game. However, TOI has now reported that the Olympic body has now cleared both the national football teams, subject to clearance from the Sports Ministry.

The sports ministry is further expected to make an exception for the two teams as there is a provision for relaxation in the guidelines if there are ‘justifiable reasons’ to do so. India men’s football team’s recent performances, winning back-to-back titles in Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship, understandably played a role in that. However, it’s worth pointing out that only three players above the age of 23 are allowed in the Asian Games squad for football.

Also, the men’s team head coach Igor Stimac wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through his official Twitter handle, urging the PM to send the team to Asian Games 2023 in Huangzhou from September 23 to October 8.

TOI further reported that it was the powerful presence of AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey that facilitated the move. The Ruling BJP politician, who is also joint secretary and acting CEO of IOA, met home minister Amit Shah recently and could have convinced the big politician to make an exception for the teams.

Back in 2018, Indian football teams were not allowed to compete in the Asian Games despite AIFF’s willingness to send the teams at their own expense. Then-IOA president Narinder Batra deemed that it would have been a waste of resources to send the Indian teams as they are not medal contenders.

Meanwhile, it is also reported that India will be sending its biggest-ever contingent for the Asian Games 2023. Some 800 athletes have been shortlisted for the quadrennial event, which was delayed by a year due to the pandemic. The entry list was sent by IOA for the July 15 deadline, after which government has time till July 26 to withdraw names from the list if it deems so.

There’s a possibility of some of the names being left out of the list with derecognised federations facing the heat. Once the list of athletes’ entries is finalised, 33 per cent of the coaching staff and officials will separately form a part of the contingent as well. Back in 2018, India sent a 524-member contingent for the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.