Sports Ministry to review Asiad performance on Oct 13; shooting, badminton under focus

The Sports Ministry will review India's performance in the recently concluded Asian Games in a one-day meet with national federations on October 13, with the underwhelming show of some "experienced" athletes in badminton, shooting and athletics set to be a major focus area.

Even the release of funds through the government's flagship Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) is set to be reassessed. India won 85 medals, including 21 gold, in the Aichi-Nagoya Games, which was significantly lower than the haul of 106 medals achieved in the previous edition in Hangzhou.

"Some experienced athletes were clearly in a comfort zone, and it reflected in their performance. The National federations will be involved, and a meeting is likely in the next few days, probably October 13 or 14," a Sports Ministry source said on Thursday.

While badminton yielded one team bronze, performance of shooters, especially in pistol, was relatively poor.

"Another issue was injuries. Players were declaring injuries after reaching the Games; how is that fair? Crores have been spent in preparing them," he said.

The Sports Ministry, before the Games, had stated that over Rs 700 crore had gone into preparing the athletes for the Games in a three-year cycle.

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