Asian Games postponement hands Saina Nehwal, Deepika-Atanu a new lease of life
While some athletes do stand to benefit from the deferred Games, it also brings its own set of challenges for others. The reactions so far have been mixed.
The postponement of the Asian Games 2022 to next year has handed Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal, and recurve archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, a second opportunity at making it to the continental meet in Hangzhou, China.
Saina Nehwal had skipped the joint national badminton trials for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games last month, thereby missing out on a spot in the Indian team for the upcoming events.
However, with the postponement, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) is open to the idea of conducting fresh trials closer to the Asian Games, which will mean that Saina Nehwal, a London 2012 Olympics bronze medallist, may yet have another opportunity to make the team.
"It is still one year to go so it is really difficult to say right now. But of course the performance of the players will have to be assessed again. So we will try to find a window to have the trials again," BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra told Indian news agency PTI.
Saina Nehwal had won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
India’s top-ranked men’s and women’s recurve archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, too, may benefit from the postponement. Both had a disappointing run at the national archery trials and had failed to make the Indian team.
"No doubt it's good news for us and we've got a new lifeline to come back strongly this time. Missing out from trials was a big setback in our careers. But now we can start it all over again and look to bounce back strongly.,” Deepika Kumari told PTI.
Athletics Federation of India (AFI) chief Adille Sumariwalla, a former international athlete himself, also felt that the postponement gives Indian athletes a much-needed respite from a hectic year of events.
The Commonwealth Games is scheduled from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, UK while the Asian Games was to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10 to 25. The World Athletics Championships are also scheduled in July.
“It’s good. How many times an athlete can peak in a year? There is CWG, World Championships and then Asian Games. The athletes need to produce peak performances. It’s difficult for them,” Adille Sumariwalla told PTI.
“A very few older athletes may be affected by the Asian Games postponement, otherwise it is good for us,” Adille Sumariwalla added.
The Indian hockey team also stands to benefit. With the Asian Games being a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Hockey India (HI) had initially planned to send a second-string side for the Commonwealth Games to focus on the Hangzhou Games.
“Now I don't see anything holding us back from sending a strong team for the Commonwealth Games,” Narinder Batra, the head of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and former Hockey India chief told Sportstar.
However, the reaction to the postponement wasn’t entirely positive as the change in schedule would mean many of the qualified athletes will need to rethink their preparations for the event.
"It is good and bad. We have more time to prepare but bad because we know we have to replan everything. Now we do the whole thing then wait a few more months," Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj explained.
“It is disappointing. We have to change all the planning now, we were planning with Asian Games in mind. India hasn't won a medal for over 20 years. We were preparing for the Asian Games only," Indian weightlifting chief coach Vijay Sharma noted.
The postponement also came as a personal blow of sorts for veteran archer Tarundeep Rai, who was planning to retire after the Asian Games.
“I feel I was reaching the peak in my career again after the disappointment of the Olympics last year. I recently won the World Cup mixed gold for the first time with Ridhi Phor at Antalya. Everything was planned and on track for me and now I've to take a fresh call,” the 38-year-old Tarundeep Rai said.