First batch of Indian athletes leave for Hangzhou Asian Games

NEW DELHI: The Indian rowing team that would be part of the upcoming Asian Games left for Hangzhou, China on Wednesday, September 6t.

The team comprises 43 members (20 Men and 13 Women) including Asian Games Medallists as part of their Coaching staff, showing how medal-winning former rowers are contributing back to their sport.

With 13 Women as part of the contingent, this is the largest contingent of women rowers travelling to the Asian Games.

It is important to note that this is the first time that the Women’s Eight event has been included in the Asian Games, and India is fielding a team for the event.

As yet another first, the squad would be training in a government-funded (to the tune of Rs 1 crore) International Training Camp in Hangzhou for a week before heading to Asian Games village on September 16th, allowing them to acclimatize well before their competition begins.

The contingent was given a rousing send-off by the officials of Sports Authority of India (SAI) Mumbai ahead of their departure for China.

India’s best performance in rowing at the Asian Games came at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, China, where Indian rowers finished with one gold medal, three silvers, and one bronze.

At the 2018 Jakarta Games, Indian rowers brought home three medals – one gold and two bronze.

In Handzhou Olympians Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh will be participating in the men’s lightweight double scull event while Jaswinder Singh, a bronze medallist at the 2022 Asian Rowing Championships, will compete in the men’s coxless four and coxed eight events.

Earlier this week, Indian sailors and the first batch of boxers also left for China, to train ahead of the multisport event.

While Indian boxers are training in Wuyishan City, Indian sailors are training in Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Centre, which is also where the Asian Games Sailing competitions are held.