Stories
Sports Ministry to Review Elite Athletes After Asian Games Setback
- •The Sports Ministry has called a review meeting with national federations to address the underwhelming performances of key athletes at the Asian Games.
- •Major focus areas will include the disappointing results of experienced stars like PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker, and Lakshya Sen, who missed out on individual medals.
- •Funding under the Target Olympics Podium Scheme and the issue of last-minute injury declarations by players will be reassessed.
- •India secured 85 medals, including 21 gold, at the Games, failing to match the 106-medal haul achieved at the previous Hangzhou edition.
Key Questions Answered
The Sports Ministry called a review meeting with national federations to scrutinize India's underwhelming performance at the Asian Games, where the country secured 85 medals—falling short of the 106-medal haul from Hangzhou—and to reassess the release of funds under the Target Olympics Podium Scheme.
Key concerns raised during the review include certain experienced athletes operating within a comfort zone and players declaring injuries only after arriving at the Games, despite crores being spent on their preparation over a three-year cycle.
Double Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Manu Bhaker both finished their campaigns without individual medals. Sindhu missed out on an individual podium finish, while Bhaker placed fifth in the 10m air pistol final and failed to qualify for the 25m pistol final.
