Approval and Contingent Overview
The Sports Ministry has officially approved a 492-athlete contingent for the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. The roster comprises 265 male and 227 female athletes, as reported by multiple outlets. While the list closely follows recommendations from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the final names reflect some omissions due to recent doping violations, according to Times Now. Additionally, more athletes may join the squad pending final clearance from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
The support staff list has not yet been issued, a detail noted by both The Economic Times and The Times of India.
Athletics: The Largest Contingent
Athletics forms the backbone of the Indian delegation with 73 athletes, comprising 35 men and 38 women, according to The Times of India. The squad is headlined by two-time Olympic medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, along with long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, long-distance runner Gulveer Singh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji. The Economic Times also listed Animesh Kujur as part of the athletics team, though this name was not mentioned in other reports.
Team Sports and Notable Squads
Cricket returns to the Asian Games with both men's and women's T20 teams cleared, as highlighted by The Times of India. The 30-member cricket contingent includes prominent names such as Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Smriti Mandhana, among others. Times Now reported that cricket will field complete 15-member men's and women's teams.
Hockey follows athletics with 40 athletes, while shooting has 30, according to The Times of India. The shooting team is anchored by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, along with Suruchi Singh, Elavenil Valarivan, and Esha Singh, as per Times Now.
Badminton's 20-strong squad features P V Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Satwik Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Gayatri Gopichand, and Treesa Jolly, as reported by multiple sources. Times Now added that the women's doubles pair of Gopichand and Jolly are fresh off a world championship bronze.
Boxing has 11 athletes, including Commonwealth Games silver-medallists Lovlina Borgohain, Narender Berwal, and Jadumani Singh, according to The Economic Times and Times Now. Wrestling features 16 grapplers, with Times Now naming Antim Panghal and Aman Sehrawat as key members.
Additional Sports and Notable Details
Esports has 15 names, and rowing has 22 athletes, as per The Economic Times. Kabaddi will field full-strength squads to defend their twin gold medals, according to Times Now. Weightlifting has been reduced to five members following doping violations, including Mirabai Chanu and Gyaneshwari Devi, with Rishikanta Singh as the lone male, as reported by Times Now.
Other sports mentioned by Times Now include tennis (Sumit Nagal as the sole singles player), rugby (13-member women's team), and volleyball (12-member men's team).
Financial and Administrative Notes
The Times of India mentioned that the government may reimburse expenditures on transfer of boats, equipment, and horses for sports like rowing, yachting, and canoeing to the concerned National Sports Federations upon approval. This detail was not present in other reports.