Rs 702.86 Crore Spent On Asian Games Preparation
The Sports Ministry on Tuesday said more than Rs 702 crore has been spent over the last three years on training, equipment support and hiring coaches and experts to prepare India’s athletes for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
With the Asian Games beginning in Japan on September 19, India’s contingent features 310 athletes making their event debut, with the Sports Ministry hopeful of a strong showing after the country’s record 106-medal haul at the previous Hangzhou edition.
N S Johal, CEO of the ministry’s flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), said Indian athletes have built enough momentum to match or improve on the Hangzhou performance.
“There is good momentum across disciplines and the contingent features a lot of debutants which is as TOPS CEO, a very proud thing for me. The gestation period in sport is high and when young athletes are able to enter the top level early, it is a very good sign for the future,” Johal said during a media interaction.
Rs 702.86 Crore Spent On Preparation
According to the ministry, Rs 702.86 crore has been spent through the Annual Competition and Training Calendar on preparing athletes for the Asian Games.
A further Rs 97.84 crore has been spent from the TOPS fund, taking the combined expenditure on preparations to more than Rs 800 crore.
The largest share of the expenditure, Rs 251.4 crore, went towards providing athletes with international competition exposure. Domestic training accounted for another Rs 118.3 crore.
The spending has covered various aspects of athlete preparation, including training, equipment, coaching and expert support.
Young Athletes Carry Future Promise
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will see several young Indian athletes competing at the highest level.
Among those expected to attract attention are 15-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is not funded by the ministry, paddler Syndrela Das, shuttler Ayush Shetty, 18-year-old squash player Anahat Singh and judoka Asmita Dey.
Anahat recently became a junior world champion, while Asmita created history by becoming the first Indian judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Johal said 65 athletes in the Asian Games contingent have come through the Khelo India programme, which he described as the country’s baseline sports system.
“Since January this year, we have had nine coordination meetings of the Target Asian Games Group and the whole effort has been to provide athletes with the best possible environment despite the administrative challenges posed by issues in various federations,” he said.
“The biggest takeaway has been that despite everything that goes on, the focus has not wavered from the athletes. We have 65 athletes in the contingent who have come through Khelo India which is our baseline sports system,” he added.
India Targets Another Record Asian Games
India will field 501 athletes — 267 men and 234 women — along with 265 support staff across 36 disciplines at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The contingent is two athletes smaller than the originally sanctioned 503 after a couple of names were dropped following doping violations.
India won 106 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze, and will now aim to match or surpass that tally in Japan.
“In the end the performance has to come from athletes. We have tried our best. As I said, the momentum is good and the younger lot is carrying this momentum,” Johal said.
Focus On Sports Science And Support
The ministry has also sought to strengthen the sports science component of India’s Asian Games preparations.
TOPS has worked to ensure that physiotherapists, doctors, mental health experts and other specialists are adequately represented within the contingent.
“Every team has women’s support staff. One third of the authorised support staff is from sports sciences. These are the little things we have worked on to ensure balance in the contingents,” Johal said.
The 265-member support staff includes 56 women, accounting for around 22 per cent of the total strength.
Johal said it took some time to finalise the contingent because several federations had initially not named enough women support staff.
With the preparations now complete, India will begin its Asian Games campaign in Aichi-Nagoya on September 19, with the country’s young athletes expected to play a significant role in the quest for another record medal haul.
