New Delhi: The Sports Ministry has axed under-fire para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal from the Para Asian Games-bound Indian contingent, approving a total of 166 athletes after a controversy-mired selection process which resulted in protests by shooters and cyclists.
The Games are due to start on October 18 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Long-serving national coach Jeevan L Rai has replaced Nautiyal in the contingent.
Nautiyal was facing allegations of not following the established criteria and demanding kickbacks in return for selection in the squad. Several shooters staged a protest outside Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters, demanding his removal and an investigation into the charges against him.
They also met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to present their grievances after attempting to disrupt the send-off ceremony for the contingent last week.
With 94 team officials and support staff and 15 contingent staff, India’s total strength at the continental showpiece would be 275 in 10 disciplines.
Para-athletics makes up the largest chunk in the delegation with 62 athletes, 46 of them men, and a support staff of 36.
World Championships medal-winning visually impaired sprinter Simran, whose previous guide Umar Saifi was caught in the doping net, is part of the squad that would be competing at Aichi-Nagoya. She will be running with a new guide, Shivam, at the Games.
Despite a protest by omitted cyclists, the Ministry has avoided any last-minute additions and approved only Paralympian Arshad Shaik, who was the best performer among those in contention, meeting the selection criteria comfortably.
Six other cyclists had also been picked by the Cycling Federation of India and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) but they were omitted for not meeting the criteria.
Among the accomplished names in the approved table tennis contingent is Paralympic silver-winning TT player Bhavina Patel.
Former world number one and Tokyo Paralympic gold-medallist Pramod Bhagat along with former Paralympic silver-winner Suhas Yathiraj headline the badminton squad of 28 (17 men and 11 women). The shuttlers have been provided a support staff of 11.
Armless compound archer Sheetal Devi, who won two gold medals at the previous Para Asiad, will once again be a top contender.
The 19-year-old world champion will be joined by another prodigal talent in 18-year-old Payal Nag, who created quite a buzz by beating Sheetal in the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok earlier this year.
The controversy-struck 13-strong shooting squad features Paralympic gold-winner Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal among others. Agarwal secured an Olympic quota place for India in the 2028 Los Angeles by winning a silver in the recent world championships in Korea.
India had won 108 medals in the previous edition of the Para Asian Games, including 27 gold, 32 silver and 49 bronze.
Athletics made the highest contribution to the tally with 53 medals, including 17 gold, followed by badminton, which added 21 medals to the overall haul.
It was the first time that the country crossed the 100-medal mark, making it the country’s best ever performance.
