4-5 Indian Athletes Await Visas For Asian Games

Around four to five members of India’s 74-strong athletics contingent are yet to receive visa clearance for Japan, creating uncertainty over their participation in the team’s pre-Asian Games acclimatisation camp.

Most members of the Indian athletics team have already reached Japan for the short camp near Tokyo ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the athletics events scheduled to begin on September 23.

Officials of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) are hopeful that the visa issue will be resolved soon and are likely to approach the government for assistance.

Visa Delay Could Affect Acclimatisation

It is learnt that the athletes awaiting visas could have to spend less time at the acclimatisation camp depending on when their clearances arrive.

There is also a possibility that some of them may travel directly to Nagoya instead of joining the rest of the team at the Tokyo camp.

An official source said VFS, which handles visa and passport administration, has insisted that applications should be submitted at the places where the respective passports were issued.

“We are hoping that it will be sorted soon,” the source said.

The AFI is now monitoring the situation as it looks to ensure that all athletes can join the Indian contingent in time for their Asian Games events.

India Team Trains Near Tokyo

Meanwhile, the athletes who have already arrived in Japan have begun preparations at the University of Tsukuba, near Tokyo.

The Indian athletics team will train at the university until September 20 as part of its acclimatisation programme before travelling to Nagoya.

The team is scheduled to reach Nagoya two days before the start of the athletics competition, giving the athletes time to settle into the venue and conditions ahead of their events.

With the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games approaching, the AFI will hope the pending visas are cleared quickly so the affected athletes can join the squad without further disruption.