The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has officially released the qualifying standards nine months prior to the 2026 Asian Games, in Aichi Nagoya, Japan, scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4. The message from AFI Spokesperson Adile Sumariwala was straightforward that the era of athletes travelling to the Asian Games just for experience is over. In the previous Asian Games, India won 29 medals in Athletics, which included 6 gold, 14 silver, and 9 bronze medals.
The AFI has opted to make standards significantly tougher in several disciplines to improve the medal tally. For events like the 200m, 400m, 800m, hurdles and a few other events, the federation has moved the clock to a potential fourth or fifth-place benchmark. In only some events, a sixth-place finish at the previous Asian Games is the qualifying benchmark. For the Marathon and the 21-km racewalk, the benchmark is yet to be announced.
For India’s fastest man, Animesh Kujur (10.18s), the task is to clock 10.16s to qualify. Meanwhile, in the pole vault, the national record stands at 5.40m in the name of Dev Meena, and he needs to raise the bar to book the ticket. In other disciplines, Indian athletes have a record of surpassing the given benchmark in previous cycles.
“We have gone to make things slightly more competitive in certain events,” Sumariwala explained during an official press briefing Saturday. “We don’t want to take passengers. People who qualify for 6th place but they have no chance in the event. These people become a liability to the rest of the team. They are not serious, they stay on WhatsApp all night. We want to ensure that every athlete we send is a potential medalist. So keeping this in mind, we have created a qualifying standard.”
He further said, “We got 29 medals which was the highest out of 107 medals. We would like to get more medals this time. We have a good season in 2025 and in 2026, there are over 40 national level events.”
To prevent one-meet wonders, who clear the qualifying mark peaking early in the season at low-stakes meet and then the performance drops when needed, AFI has introduced a mandatory clause. Athletes must participate in at least three competitions, including their respective State Meets and two National-level competitions.
“People get qualified in January, and after that, they don’t do anything ,then they go there (to the Asian Games) and don’t perform. We want to see whether an athlete is improving or declining. One good day is not enough at this level,” Sumariwala stated.
While the AFI has laid down a strict policy for the general athletes, former World Champion and Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra stands as a notable exception. “We are not foolish to restrict our athletes. Neeraj Chopra is only one Neeraj. But for the common people, it is the same rule,” says Sumariwala.
Sumariwala also cited the case of a few past athletes who set national records in March but couldn’t reach basic benchmarks by the time the major games arrived. “The decision of the selection committee is final,” he emphasised. “If the performance is coming down because of injury or other reasons, that will be in the purview of the committee. India first. We need maximum medals.”
Follow Revsportz for all sports updates.
