Sports Secretary set to skip Asian Games to oversee BRICS Games at home

Indian Sports Ministry officials, including Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, have cancelled their travel plans to the ongoing 20th Asian Games at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.

Instead, the ministry's officials will remain in the country to oversee the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Sports Demonstration Games which is set to take plan in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on October 12-13.

Secretary Rao was initially set to travel to Aichi-Nagoya on the 28th of September, but has since, however, modified his plans owing to the significance of the BRICS Games.

An official from the sports ministry denied the earlier report from this publication that the decision not to travel to Japan had anything to do with India's performances at the ongoing Asian Games.

"The only reason the secretary is not travelling is because India is hosting the BRICS Games in Ahmedabad Oct 12 onwards where 21 nations are participating," said an official from the ministry to The Bridge.

The teams from member countries are expected to start arriving in India from October 10 and according to the ministry's official, it was best suited that Secretary Rao review the arrangements closely alongside other ministry officials whilst staying back in India.

"For review and coordination of the Games arrangements, which the Sports Ministry is doing alongside the Gujarat government, he decided to forgo this trip," added the official.

About the BRICS Games

The BRICS Games are a platform for cooperation across recreational, traditional, indigenous, high-performance and non-Olympic sports.

Set to be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on October 12-13, 2026, the Games will provide nations with a platform to promote, showcase, and preserve their indigenous sporting heritage and diverse traditional backgrounds.

The Games are aimed at fostering cultural exchange, promoting mutual understanding among BRICS nations and strengthening people-to-people ties. Also, the Games are conceptualised as a non-competitive and culturally focused initiative.

The BRICS Games are of immense significance as it provides India with an opportunity to host athletes from participating countries and showcase its ability to successfully organise a major international sporting event.

Additionally, India’s proposal for a BRICS Sports Goods Manufacturing Conclave has also received support and an inaugural edition in November 2026 has been proposed with Udaipur in Rajasthan being identified as the host.