Ministry announces selection criteria for Asian Games

The sports ministry has laid down rules for the selection for the Asian Games and other multi-sports events that prioritises winning medals.

In a letter to the Indian Olympic Association and all heads of the national sports federations, ministry's under-secretary Tarun Pareek has given a clear-cut criteria for selections of the teams and also individual competitions.

"The purpose of these instructions is to lay down a transparent and equitable framework for the selection of sportspersons and teams for the participation in various multidisciplinary sports events. This framework is intended to ensure that all the athletes, coaches, and stakeholders are fully informed of the eligibility benchmarks and performance standards required for consideration. The aim is to ensure that the athletes who have a real chance of winning medals are considered for the participation in multi-disciplinary sports events," Pareek said in his letter.

In the selection criteria for measurable sports, like shooting, the athlete has to equal or better sixth place performance from the last Asian Games. If the sport was not part of the Asian Games, then the results of the last senior Asian Championships become the benchmark.

"The NSF (National Sports Federation) will be eligible to nominate an athlete if the athlete has matched or bettered the 6th-place performance from the last Asian Games at a competition recognised by the international sports federation for that sport, held within the 12 months preceding the upcoming Asian Games," it stated.

In non-measurable sports, the minimum requirement is a sixth place finish in the last Asian Championships or being ranked amongst the top-6 in Asia will be enough to get selected for the team.

In sports where no Asian Championships have been conducted, the athlete must have a top-6 finish amongst Asian nations.

Further, in team sports like football and hockey and for relay team selections a top-eight finish in the last Asian Championships or being in top-8 among Asian countries in rankings has been set as the selection criteria.