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It’s not because of the goals that can be scored in this (football) game, it’s because of the goal India can achieve with this generation. This is a new generation. This is a new India. Everything is possible.Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Sports Minister
Everything is possible, provided there is an opportunity to at least try.
And the gates of opportunity are what have been firmly shut on the Indian men’s and women’s football teams who have been left out of the 524-member contingent for Asian Games named by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
Reason: A 2015 Sports Ministry circular says that teams need to be in the top 8 rankings in Asia to qualify and represent the country at the Asian Games.
The above guideline applies to football, that has 24 teams competing in the men’s draw and also to handball, that has nine teams competing in the women’s event. This, when the Indian men’s football team is ranked 14th in Asia, while the women’s handball team have booked their slot in Indonesia next month by virtue of finishing eighth out of nine teams at the previous Asian Games.
If logic deceives you, you’re not alone. After all, Indian sports authorities are known to always do things by the book, right?
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