Asian Winter Games 2025: Sports Ministry disapproves more than half of Indian squad

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has disapproved more than half of India’s contingent for the 2025 Asian Winter Games from February 7 to 14 in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. As per reports in the Tribune, the Sports Ministry pruned down the national contingent to 35, rejecting 41 out of the 76 names sent for approval by the Indian Olympic Association.

The Indian ice hockey team and the athletes in ski mountaineering and snowboarding have suffered the most.

The Sports Ministry, led by Mansukh Mandaviya, said that the athletes ranked in the top six of individual events, and top eight of team events, would be allowed to go to Harbin for the tournament.

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PT Usha questions the Sports Ministry's decision

Legendary Indian athlete and IOA president PT Usha has reportedly questioned the decision to cut down the Winter Games squad. Usha was said to have sent a letter to the Sports Ministry.

Usha also said that the ranking criteria were relaxed after the Asian Games 2022 was delayed and was held in 2023.

"The application of strict selection criteria, such as international participation or being among the top three rankings for individual/team events, is therefore inappropriate for winter sports," Usha is said to have written,” Usha wrote.

"Such criteria, if applied, undermine the very purpose of promoting winter sports in the country. Moreover, implementing such requirements just 30 days before the games is unfair to the athletes and contrary to their aspirations," Usha added.

Usha also reckoned that winter sports athletes receive limited time to practice because of the lack of snow in India. Hence, the sports ministry could have taken into account all the factors before making a decision.

In 2017, when the Winter Asian Games last took place, India could not win a single medal out of 27 participants in six sports.