Asian Games, India's football teams to participate after exemption: Details
The Indian men's and women's football teams are set to be a part of the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou in September. This happened after the Sports Ministry granted an exemption despite the teams not meeting the criteria of being ranked among the top eight teams in the continent. Earlier, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had appealed to the Sports Ministry.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweets
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted, "Our national football teams, both Men's and Women's, are set to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, has decided to relax the rules to facilitate participation of both the teams, which were not qualifying as per the existing criterion."
India will feature in Asian Games after 2014 edition
The Indian team will now play in the Asian Games for the first time since 2014. India didn't feature for the same criteria mentioned above in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Notably, football in the Asian Games is a U-23 tournament with three players above the age being permitted in a team.
When will the Asian Games start?
The 2023 Asian Games will be hosted in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. The AIFF had earlier planned that Igor Stimac will lead a U-23 team to the Asian Games after the King's Cup in Thailand (September 7-10). Since 2002, football in Asian Games is a U-23 event.
What were the criteria for the Sports Ministry?
The Sports Ministry had sent a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all national sports federations saying that for team events only those will be selected for the Asian Games who have achieved the top eight ranking in the continent. The Blue Tigers are way below the qualification criteria. They are ranked well below 10 among countries under the Asian Football Confederation.
Stimac appealed to Narendra Modi for Asian Games participation
Indian men's football team head coach Stimac had made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Thakur to allow the team's participation in the Asian Games. "We as a national team have worked hard in the last four years and managed great results, proving that we can achieve more if we get the support from all stakeholders," he stated.
A look at Indian football team's performance in Asian Games
The Indian men's football team has done well at the Asian Games. They are the third-most successful team in the competition, winning the gold medal twice in 1951 and 1962, and the bronze once in 1970. The men's team last featured in the 2014 Asian Games and finished 26th out of 29 teams. The Indian women's football team finished ninth out of 11 teams.
