Asian Games 2026: Sumariwalla denies visa delay reports
AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla told The Bridge that athlete accreditation serves as the visa and denied reports of any delay.
Harita Bhadra (Photo credit: RYFS)
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are just around the corner, but reports of visa delays have already started emerging. The latest contingent to face the issue is the Indian athletics team.
It is reported that 4-5 members of the 74-strong Indian athletics contingent are still awaiting their visa clearance.
The athletics events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games begin on September 23 and most athletes are already in Japan for a short acclimatisation camp near Tokyo ahead of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
But the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla denied reports of any visa delays and clarified that athlete’s accreditations act as the visas.
“Not at all. Accreditation cards are visas,” Adille Sumariwalla told The Bridge on Monday.
The Indian contingent is training at the University of Tsukuba, near Tokyo, where they will train till September 20 before reaching Nagoya two days before the start of the athletics events.
The names doing the round include Harita Bhadra (200m & Relay), Kiran Pahal (400m & Relay), Anamika (Heptathlon), Supriya (High Jump), Asha Illango (Triple Jump) and Sindhushree (Pole Vault), along with some coaches.
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