Preparations for the 19th Asian Games, which will kick off on September 20 and last for 16 days, have been completed in Hangzhou, China, say the reports. As one of the major countries in the continent, news about India's preparations for the games has also been surfacing for the past few days. Around 800 athletes have been included in the preliminary list, handed over to the organizers by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). In 2018, 524 members took part in 36 events at the Asian Games held in Jakarta. When the final list is prepared on July 26, it is estimated that more than 600 athletes will be in the team. The interesting thing is that the authorities did not give permission for popular sports items including football, even after preparing a large team. The IOA has banned the men's and women's football teams, citing that the move was made on purely technical grounds. This bias is due to the decision of the Ministry of Sports, that Asian Games participation is to be ensured only if there is an 8th position in FIFA rankings in Asia. Currently, the men's team is ranked 18th while the women's team is ranked 10th. For similar reasons, the sports items such as basketball, karate and handball will also be eliminated.
People from different quarters of society have come forward against this approach of the IOA and the Union Sports Ministry. Former football players including I.M. Vijayan strongly condemned the action. The coach of the national football team Igor Stimac has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on the issue. In 1998, during Croatia's first-ever World Cup, Stimac was a part of the team. He was the spearhead of the team's defence that finished third that year and clearly knows how the growth of football happens in a country. In light of that experience, Stimac has been training the senior and junior teams for the last four years. It was also due to Stimac's excellence, that India won the SAFF Cup a few days ago and reached 99 in the FIFA ranking. When such a person speaks out strongly against the approach of the authorities who deny the participation of the national team on a larger platform like the Asian Games, it should definitely be taken seriously. He insists that such an abstinence would be a great folly, especially, at this time when football is becoming popular in the country at many levels. Stimac's indirect criticism hints at Modi's speech on the football fever in India, referring to French star Kylian Mbappe, during his visit to France a few days ago.
In fact, making ranking a criterion for participation in the Asian Games is absurd. Making the team ranking a criterion means sending the teams to the competitions only based on chances of securing medals. Given that this standard is not applicable to all sports items, the authorities do not have answers to the questions as to why only a few games, including football, have restrictions. Moreover, the Asian Games men's football is only for junior players; the rule is that all but three must be under 23 years of age. However, women do not have this requirement. It means that the FIFA ranking of the senior team does not apply here at all. In fact, beyond the chances of bagging medals, isn't participation in sports events like the Asian Games more important? In the current situation, the Indian national team needs an opportunity to play in more tournaments. If the team gets the nod for the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, the players who participated in the 2017 Under-17 World Cup will be the ones donning the national jerseys. It will be a great opportunity for them. Not only that, the Asian Games will also be a preparatory step for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Olympic Association seems to pay no heed to the repetitive requests by Stimac and others.
P.T. Usha who has made invaluable contributions to Indian sports, is the current president of the association. Beyond winning medals, nobody in the country knows as much as Usha about the importance of participation in a huge sporting event. Unfortunately, even she is not ready to correct the approach of the sports ministry in this regard; she has even clarified that she backs the Ministry’s decision regarding the matter. In 1951, the Indian football team won the gold medal in the first Asian Games held in Delhi. That feat was repeated in 1962. Later the team also won bronze. Since then, there have been no significant achievements. In 2014, the team finished 26th in Incheon. However, the changes in Indian football in the last 10 years should not be overlooked. As the Indian Super League (ISL) enters its 10th year, not only has football become more popular, but the quality of the game has also risen significantly. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic Association to brush up on these obvious changes and bring them to international standards. However, they have different agendas.