New Delhi: The sports ministry on Wednesday cleared the names of 246 coaches and support staff members to accompany Indian athletes at the upcoming Asian Games that begin in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya on September 19. The number of athletes has also been increased from 492 (265 men and 227 women) to 503 (269 male & 234 female) following the addition of the four-member surfing team, six track and field athletes and one Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athlete. The total strength of the Indian contingent now stands at 768.
The athletics squad now stands at 79 athletes and 31 officials (coaches, physios, masseuse, doctor, team manager, tech analyst). The 30-member cricket (15 men, 15 women) team will travel with a 20-member support staff while the 40-member hockey team (20 men and 20 women) has been sanctioned a 14-member support staff. Three judokas will have the services of two support staff while the MMA athletes will travel without a coach/physio.
Interestingly, Neeraj Chopra’s coach Jai Choudhary and physio Ishaan Marwaha have been named in the list although the ace javelin thrower has ruled himself out of the Asian Games due to a ligament tear. Glasgow Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yashvir Singh, who was expected to replace Chopra, hasn’t been named yet.
