India, Aug. 27 -- The Sports Authority of India's (SAI) decision to cut the size of the Asian Games contingent has sparked dissatisfaction among several federations.

Many federations are pointing out at the "ambiguity" in selection criteria based on rankings, especially for squads picked on the basis of selection trials.

Several sports, including tennis, rowing, judo, gymnastics, and weightlifting, have had their squads trimmed for the Asian Games. SAI stuck to the Sports Ministry's selection criteria of at least top-6 finish at the Asian Championships or previous Asian Games as benchmark for individual athletes. For team sports, the benchmark was set at a top-8.

In wushu, for example, a squad of 12 was selected based on trials. Five a...