NEW DELHI: Indian national team footballers heaved a sigh of relief after the sports ministry cleared their Asian Games participation while slashing the proposed size of the contingent by over a quarter yesterday.
The size of the contingent for any multi-sport event is always a vexed issue in the country and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) proposed a 942-strong contingent for the September 19 to October 4 Games in Incheon, South Korea, even though sports ministry officials felt only the medal hopefuls should travel.
The standoff left the men’s and women’s under-23 football teams stranded in Shanghai after completing their tour of China, not knowing whether to head to South Korea or return home.
The wait is finally over with the All India Football Federation announcing it has got the go-ahead for the 20-member men’s squad and the 18-member women’s team.
The sports ministry said it has cleared a 679-member contingent, including 516 athletes, for Incheon to compete in 28 disciplines, including football and table tennis which had earlier risked missing the cut.
“The exercise was undertaken to ensure that the deserving athletes, coaches and supporting personnel are participating in the Games,” the ministry said in a statement.
India will not take part in baseball, bowling, fencing, karate, modern pentathlon, rugby, softball, soft tennis and triathlon because of the athletes’ poor standards.
Indian cricket board’s reluctance means the reigning 50-over world champions will not compete in cricket either.
India sent a 933-member contingent, including 609 athletes, to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China where they won 65 medals, including 14 gold medals, from the 35 disciplines they competed in.
In South Korea, organisers are confident a “frugal” and unflashy Asian Games can put South Korea’s Incheon on the map despite low ticket sales raising the prospect of swathes of empty seats.
Days before the start, only 10 percent of tickets had sold for the Olympic-style event.
Interest has not been helped by North Korea’s decision not to send their squad of 350 well-drilled cheerleaders, who proved a big attraction at previous events in South Korea.
But officials are playing down the razzmatazz usually generated by Asia’s Olympics, saying the emphasis is on creating a new, low-cost model to be copied by others.
At just over $2bn, the Incheon Games are costing roughly a tenth of what China spent on Guangzhou 2010, and compare with the estimated $40bn and $50bn lavished on the Beijing and Sochi Olympics respectively.
“It will be a more economical and efficient Asiad than before, and we hope the Asian Games in Incheon will provide a role model for other countries seeking to host it,” chief organiser Kim Yong-Soo told reporters.
“I’m proud of making frugal preparations,” Kim said, adding that Incheon was breaking from the tradition of using costly sports events to build national prestige.
The frugality will extend to the September 19 opening ceremony, which will be a scaled-down, K-Pop-inspired show, according to its creators.
Artistic director Jang Jin said it would be “unlike the previous Asian Games and Olympics that focused on flaunting their national power. AGENCIES
