NEW DELHI: India’s men’s and women’s football teams’ participation in the Hangzhou Asian Games is looking highly unlikely. Their omission from the Asiad-bound contingent could be the collateral damage of the ongoing battle of one-upmanship between Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) president PT Usha and joint secretary and acting CEO Kalyan Chaubey.
Usha’s reluctance and Chaubey’s insistence to send the two squads to the continental multisport event is the bone of contention. The former does not want to override strict government guidelines for selecting the contingent in team sports; the latter is looking for ‘relaxation’ in the rules by engaging in backchannel talks with central ministers.
