India Sports Ministry spends over Rs 700cr for Asian Games preparation

The Indian Sports Ministry has disclosed that over Rs 702 crore has been spent over the last three years to prepare athletes for the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. This funding, distributed through the Annual Competition and Training Calendar, covers training, equipment, and international exposure. Additionally, Rs 97.84 crore was allocated through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

A significant portion of the budget, approximately Rs 251.4 crore, was dedicated to providing athletes with international competition exposure to prepare against high-level opposition. Domestic training accounted for Rs 118.3 crore of the expenditure.

India will field a contingent of 501 athletes (267 men and 234 women) and 265 support staff across 36 disciplines. The group includes 310 debutants, such as 18-year-old squash player Anahat Singh and judoka Asmita Dey. N S Johal, CEO of TOPS, noted that the high number of young athletes entering top-level competition is a positive sign for the future of Indian sports.