India's Asian Games contingent pruned to 679

Indian Asian Games contingent has been sized down this year

New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in consultation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tuesday pruned the Indian contingent for the Incheon Asian Games, slated for September 19-October 4, to 679 from 942 that was proposed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The total number of participants shall be 679, including 516 athletes and 163 coaches and support staff. The IOA had sent a list of 942 participants, including 662 athletes and 280 officials. India will be participating in a total of 28 disciplines as against 35 last time.

"In Asiad 2010 in Guangzhou, China, we had sent a contingent of 609 athletes plus 324 officials (933). It has also been decided that 'No Cost to Government' shall not be a consideration for finalizing the national contingent," the ministry said in a statement.

"The list was sent by the IOA to the ministry on 21st August, 2014. As per the Ministry's guidelines, the list was required to be submitted at least 90 days in advance. The exercise was undertaken to ensure that the deserving Athletes, Coaches and Supporting Personnel are participating in the Games. The minister wishes the Indian contingent all the very best," the statement added.

India will not be participating in the following disciplines – Modern Pentathlon, Softball, Bowling, Rugby, baseball, soft tennis, sailing, fencing, triathlon, karate and cricket. The teams for karate and cricket were not sent.

Federations whose athletes will not be featuring in the multi-sport event are ready to move to court.

"How can they stop us from participating in the Games. If they wanted to have a criteria for clearing a team, then they should have made the norms public a year or two earlier. You can't decide the criteria so late," said Namdeo Shirgaonkar, secretary of Modern Pentathlon and a member of IOA's Executive Council. "Players have worked hard for a year and how can they ridicule their efforts this way."We are a young body and were participating in the Asian Games for the first time with an eye of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics."I will discuss the issue with IOA officials but if they still stop us then we will move the court," he added, saying they had selected a team of four men and two women for the Games.

The disciplines cleared for the Asian Games are Swimming (7), Archery (16), Athletics (56), Badminton (16), Basketball (24), Boxing (13), Kayaking and Canoeing (19), Cycling (6), Equestrian (11), Football (38), Golf (7), Gymnastics (12), Handball (32), Hockey (32), Judo (4), Kabaddi (24), Rowing (32), Sepak takraw (24), Shooting (43), Squash (8), Taekwondo (2), Table tennis (10), Tennis (12), Volleyball (24), Wrestling (18), Wushu (8), Weightlifting (7), Yachting (11).