New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- For the 503 athletes who will represent India in 36 disciplines at the Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19, it is going to be a tough voyage. In many ways, the Asian Games is the mid-point between two Olympic cycles. After the Paris 2024 Olympics and leading into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, how Indian athletes are shaping up will be tested in Aichi-Nagoya.
The sudden spell of rain in the Japanese port city last week left sports venues looking vulnerable. Rainfall of four inches in a day was bizarre. As most athletes from Asia will not be staying in plush hotels but in cabins on ships anchored there, it must have been a taste of things to come.
Japan has many good memories for India. It was in Tokyo, in 2021, that Neeraj Chopra won a historic gold medal in javelin. Tokyo also brought Indian hockey its first Olympic medal, a bronze, after 41 years. Tokyo to Aichi-Nagoya is just 90 minutes by the famous Bullet Train. The Indians need to go flat out at the same speed during their Asian Games campaign from September 19 to October 3.
Standards in the Asian Games have increased manifold. It is for this reason that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports does not clear all and sundry to travel for the Asian Games as if it is an exposure tour. The amount of foreign travel Indian athletes enjoy today is massive, all at the taxpayers' expense. To support athletes who have not made it big is one thing. Certainly, a PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker or Mirabai Chanu does not need funds from the Central Pool.
How these celebrated athletes fare will be watched with interest. Indian sport is poised dangerously if you look at it through the prism of doping and governance. Day in and day out, there are cases of dope cheats hitting the headlines. Athletics, weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, wushu and judo have all caused embarrassment.
Doping in Indian sports is a shame. Global media highlights Indians flunking dope tests and being placed under suspension. The testing protocols within India and scrutiny by WADA - the World Anti-Doping Agency - and other agencies are justified. At the National Dope Testing Laboratory in New Delhi, scientists are doing a good job. Here is hoping each Indian athlete in Aichi-Nagoya is clean and competes fair and square.
India wishes to host global sporting events. The 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad is confirmed; next on the mission list is the 2036 Olympics. If India wishes to host the Olympics, the medal haul and performances have to go up. How India fares in the Asian Games and LA 2028 Olympics will therefore be important. Each doping case is also being noticed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). An impression has already been created that Indian sport is not clean. Harsh punishment has to be meted out to dope cheats; mere suspension does not work.
In Nagoya, no medal is going to come easy. In shooting, India are expected to do well, with fresh faces and seasoned stars appearing in good form. The pressure of expectation is high for Manu Bhaker after she won two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Esha Singh did well at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou. Now, Suruchi Phogat in pistol and the hungry rifle shooters need to come good in Nagoya.
Expectations from track and field are high. One has lost count of how many national records have been broken in recent months at home. In the absence of Neeraj Chopra, out with an ankle injury, the focus will be on Ancy Sojan and Shaili Singh in the long jump. Ancy has been in sublime form, so how the two girls push each other will be good to see. The return of Avinash Sable, the sturdy steeplechaser, is also awaited. He did well on Thursday in New Delhi at the final domestic meet in the 3,000m steeplechase. The last year has been dark and dank for Sable after he sustained an ACL tear. He looks good now.
Some performances at the CWG in Glasgow in July were also heartening. Can Tejaswin Shankar again do well in the gruelling decathlon? The sturdy star did well to cross 8,000 points at home. In Glasgow, he overcame the pain barrier to win a bronze medal.
Shooting and athletics will be India's main hopes, though Indian boxers, notably the girls, will be seen as medal prospects. Indian wrestling, too, is expected to deliver medals. This sport has moved beyond the drama enacted by Vinesh Phogat. There are fresher faces who can do well and win medals, though doping incidents at home in wrestling are worrying.
For emotional reasons, Indian hockey is always a favourite. The men's and women's teams have their task cut out. At the FIH World Cup in Amstelveen, India did not do well, and coach Craig Fulton is now under attack. Fulton did guide India to gold at the Hangzhou Asiad and bronze at the Paris Olympics. A gold medal is a must, as it will ensure direct qualification for the LA Olympics.
This time, the hype over the women's team is good. To finish fifth in the FIH World Cup recently is great. Like it or lump it, coach Sjoerd Marijne has done well to bring the best out of the girls. In terms of fitness and speed, the girls are fearless. Hockey India needs a reset too. Bad governance and allegations of harassment against Secretary General Bholanath Singh are serious. A probe committee is in place, and Bholanath will be under scrutiny. President Dilip Tirkey, known for his skills as a player and former India captain, has been overshadowed. Tirkey spoke of how the blue dress code will be back for the Indian hockey teams. The colour change is not too significant; what is needed is a change in performance standards from the men.
Winning gold is not a demand; it is a justified desire. Crores of rupees are spent on Indian hockey, the coaches, support staff and scientific advisers. Hockey has an emotional connect at home, so India expects two gold medals from Aichi-Nagoya.
Lastly, for Sat-Chi, the famous badminton doubles pair, competing in Aichi-Nagoya should be enjoyable. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the China Masters champions, so they have tuned in well. India will also wish Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand good luck. Their bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi three weeks back was awesome.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.