Asian Games: India rowing camp unsettled by last-minute crew changes at Aichi-Nagoya Games
India's rowing contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is facing unrest after last-minute crew changes were announced on Monday, with competitions due to begin on Wednesday.
Several rowers have claimed they were moved out of the events they were originally entered in and that reserve athletes have been elevated into first teams following a meeting of team managers on Monday; one rower said he "has been shifted from his pet event and a reserve player has replaced him." The same rower, speaking to PTI on the condition of anonymity, added: "Some rowers have not taken food yet as they are in a disturbed state of mind. They are not knowing what to do."
An official tracking the situation confirmed some athletes are struggling mentally and said: "It is very sad, but things are not rosy in the rowing team." A senior rowing official noted that 50 per cent of a crew can be changed in case of a medical emergency, but players have alleged the alterations amounted to a complete change.
Specific personnel adjustments reported include Arvind Singh, the 2022 Asian Games silver medallist, being moved from single sculls to quadruple sculls, while Balraj Panwar has been shifted from quadruple sculls into single sculls. The men's pair originally listed as Saurav Kumar and Vipul Satish are set to be replaced by Nitin Kumar and Jaswinder Singh, reserve Jasmail Singh is due to be named in the coxless four, and Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh are reported to have been moved from double sculls to quadruple sculls.
Separately at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, organisers on Monday postponed the equestrian eventing competition in Tokyo to Tuesday because of the approaching Typhoon Dujuan, and posted an updated schedule showing Eventing Dressage and Eventing Jumping starting on Tuesday.
The Olympic Council of Asia on Monday also announced the first adverse analytical finding at the Games: an out-of-competition sample collected on September 17 in Nagoya from Thailand's badminton player Pitchamon Opatniputh tested positive for the prohibited substance furosemide, the OCA said. The statement added that "Furosemide is prohibited under the WADA Prohibited List as S5 Diuretics and Masking Agents. It is prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) and is classified as a specified substance. Furosemide can be used by athletes to excrete water for rapid weight loss." The International Testing Agency is the testing and results management authority for the OCA at the Asian Games.
The OCA said the athlete "has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect until the resolution of the matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the OCA Anti-Doping Rules. This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026." The athlete, who had not yet competed at the Games and was scheduled for the women's team quarterfinals on Tuesday, retains the right to challenge the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport's Anti-Doping Division and to request analysis of the B-sample.
Rowing events are due to begin on Wednesday, while the provisional suspension of the Thai badminton player will keep her out of all Asian Games activities until the case is resolved or successfully challenged.