Sports Authority of India Supports India’s Karate Hopes for the Asian Games
Dr. Shrikrishna Sharma
New Delhi. The Sports Authority of India has supported India’s Karate hopes for the 2026 Asian Games through the Sports Authority of India Target Asian Games Group Scheme to provide India’s karatekas with the best possible opportunities for their preparation for the upcoming Asian Games. SAI has approved a 45-day Senior National Coaching Camp for Karate. The camp comprises 48 athletes (24 male and 24 female athletes), 12 coaches, and 4 support staff, totaling 64 members. The camp is currently underway at the SAI Regional Centre in Lucknow from November 17th to December 31st. The entire camp has been provided with financial assistance of ₹1.42 crore under the Assistance to National Sports Federations Scheme. This ensures that athletes have access to full training facilities and can continue their high-performance training despite the termination of NSF recognition. This comes at a time when Asian Games qualification standards and international benchmarks are rapidly rising. The National Coaching Camp in Lucknow will identify talented athletes who will receive opportunities abroad to prepare for next year’s Asian Games. In July this year, an organizing committee for karate was formed to manage all aspects of the sport, from athlete selection to coaching camps and overseas exposure. The committee conducted open national selection trials for the senior category at the SAI Training Centre on the campus in Shillong from October 12-14. In addition to karate, a similar committee governs the martial arts sports of ju-jitsu and kurash. (Sports Editor)
