The Sports Ministry questioned injured athletes travelling to the Asian Games and pressed national federations to deliver results at a review of India’s performance on Thursday, after the country’s medal tally fell from 106 in Hangzhou to 85 in Aichi-Nagoya.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired the meeting in New Delhi, which also looked ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“The Minister was very clear that there is no dearth of resources and the NSFs can no longer complain about financial support. The federations have to deliver. They have to not just make presentations but deliver on the ground,” a senior official present at the meeting told PTI.
“But there were no major fireworks per se. The federations presented their insights and the Minister asked them to plan ahead.”
Minister of State for Sports Raksha Khadse, Indian Olympic Association president P.T. Usha, sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao and representatives of national sports federations attended the review.
Injuries come under scrutiny
According to PTI, Usha raised injuries to hurdler Jyothi Yarraji and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, which emerged during the Games, when Athletics Federation of India adviser Adille Sumariwalla presented his assessment.
“At this point, the Minister intervened to say that instead of specific cases, the focus should be on analysing the overall performance,” the source said.
Avinash Sable’s fitness also came under scrutiny after he did not start the 5000m following a fourth-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase. He had won steeplechase gold and 5000m silver at Hangzhou.
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India’s athletics gold tally fell from six to one. The overall return in the discipline dropped from 29 medals to 24.
Concerns about preparation and performance had surfaced before Thursday’s meeting.
“Some experienced athletes were clearly in a comfort zone and it reflected in their performance,” a ministry source told PTI on October 8.
“The results have to reflect the investment,” the source said.
Badminton and shooting disappoint
Badminton yielded only a men’s team bronze. Defending men’s doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the opening round, with the disappointing performance partly attributed to a demanding schedule that required players to contest multiple matches within 24 hours.
India’s pistol shooters also struggled, with double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker returning without a medal. National Rifle Association of India secretary Pawankumar Singh represented the federation at the review.
Boxing provided a contrast. After an unprecedented three gold medals, the Boxing Federation of India promised to deliver more with “continued institutional support”.
The federation’s internal dispute between president Ajay Singh and secretary Pramod Kumar, who have suspended each other, did not come up for discussion, PTI reported.
India finished with 21 gold medals, 11 of them won in the final two days. Archers, the men’s and women’s hockey teams, boxers and women golfers were among the leading performers.
Before the Games, the ministry said more than Rs 700 crore had been spent preparing athletes over three years. India sent a contingent of 501 athletes.
(With inputs from PTI)