A big news is coming out from the Indian sports world, where some major changes have been made in the Indian athletics team announced for the upcoming Asian Games (Asian Games 2026). The country's star javelin throw athlete and Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out of the Asian Games due to a serious injury, due to which young promising athlete Yashveer Singh has now been officially included in the Indian team in his place. Along with this, renowned long distance runner Abhishek Pal has been dropped from the team after receiving a notice for doping violation from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). All these major changes were officially confirmed by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) during a special press conference organized in Ludhiana by announcing the 77-member strong track and field team, which has sparked discussions among sports lovers. Shock to the team due to injury of Neeraj Chopra, Yashvir Singh will take charge. The absence of Neeraj Chopra, the biggest shining star of Indian athletics from the Asian Games, is being considered a big blow for the sports fans of the country. Neeraj Chopra suffered a minor injury during the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and due to not being fully fit, he has taken the tough decision to withdraw from the prestigious continental competition. However, the Indian Athletics Federation immediately took a big step to fill his gap and included talented javelin thrower Yashvir Singh in the team. Let us tell you that Yashveer Singh recently performed brilliantly in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and won the bronze medal for the country, while Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal in the same competition. Now the country will have high hopes of a gold medal from Yashveer Singh on the Asian Games stage. Abhishek Pal caught in doping controversy, Tejas Shirse also out, on one hand the team has suffered loss due to injury of Neeraj Chopra, on the other hand doping cases have once again put the reputation of Indian athletics in the dock. Leading sprinter Abhishek Pal, who represents the country in long distance races, has been issued an official notice by NADA for violating anti-doping rules. As soon as he received this serious notice, AFI without any delay dropped him from the final team of Asian Games. Additionally, men's 110m hurdles specialist sprinter Tejas Shirase has also faced exclusion from the team as he too was injured during his Glasgow Commonwealth Games campaigns and could not be fit in time. AFI President Bahadur Singh Saggu, while ratifying all these decisions during the press conference, made it clear that discipline, fitness and following the rules are of paramount importance for every athlete. 77-member strong Indian track and field squad announced for Asian Games After a lot of ups and downs and player drop-outs, the Athletics Federation of India has released the final list of a total of 77-member extremely balanced and strong track and field squad for the Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya). In this team, many veteran and emerging young players of the country will stand shoulder to shoulder on the field to win medals for the country. The men's category includes Gurinderveer Singh, Animesh Kujur, national record holder Avinash Sable (3000m steeplechase), Gulveer Singh, shot put star Tejinder Pal Toor, and javelin throwers like Yashveer Singh and Rohit Yadav. On the other hand, in the women's category, international level talented athletes like Jyoti Yaraji, Parul Chaudhary, long jump star Shaili Singh, Annu Rani, and Priyanka Goswami are all set to give wings to the country's medal hopes. The federation has full hope that after the changes, this new team will bring glory to the country on the international stage. AFI President Bahadur Singh Saggu made his blunt statement on team selection. Discussing in detail the selection of players and the changes made at the last moment, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) President Bahadur Singh Saggu addressed the media. He said that injuries and other administrative or disciplinary issues on the field of play are an inevitable part of the game, but representing the country comes above all. Saggu confirmed that since Neeraj Chopra is in the process of full recovery from his old injury, we have taken a unanimous decision to include Commonwealth Games medalist Yashvir Singh in his place in the team, who has proved his ability. Along with this, he also expressed grief over the doping case of Abhishek Pal and said that the federation does not promote any kind of indiscipline or doping in sports. In the end, he expressed confidence that this final 77-member team announced will be completely successful in giving its best performance in the tough competitions of the Asian Games and winning maximum medals in India's bag.
