India’s official contingent for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya may include athletes travelling at no cost to the government, if recommendations from a recently formed sports ministry committee are adopted.
Committee weighs full-strength contingent
The 15-member committee, appointed last Friday and chaired by sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao with IOA president PT Usha as co-chair, held its first meeting at the SAI headquarters on Tuesday. Members recommended that India should field a full-strength team, including all athletes who meet qualification standards, regardless of their perceived medal chances.
They argued that favourable competition draws — often revealed only days before events begin — can sometimes result in unexpected medal opportunities.
A committee member noted that the contingent would be finalised by name in May 2026, when India must submit its official list of athletes and support staff to the Games organisers.
Proposal for athletes to travel ‘no cost to govt’
During discussions, some members suggested that qualified athletes who are not selected for the official contingent should still be allowed to travel without government funding, with their respective federations covering expenses.
“The ministry can make an exception this time,” a committee member said, indicating greater flexibility compared to previous editions.
Comparison with Hangzhou Asian Games
For the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, the government initially sanctioned 634 athletes across 38 disciplines, despite the IOA recommending 850. Later additions brought the final contingent to 655 athletes and 266 officials, totalling 921 delegates.
The new recommendations, if accepted, would allow India to maintain competitive depth while reducing financial burden on the exchequer.