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Following the Sports Ministry's decision to relax the existing selection criteria, India's men and women football teams cleared the way for participation in the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China.
Indian football team scattered in Asian Games. (AP)
New Delhi. Following the Sports Ministry's decision to relax the existing selection criteria, India's men and women football teams cleared the way for participation in the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) did not approve of the Indian football teams to participate in the Asian Games earlier as it is not among the top eight teams in Asia in the ranking. After this, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) appealed to the Sports Ministry to ensure the participation of male and women's teams in this prestigious competition. Indian men's football team coach Igor Stimak also demanded intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted on Wednesday, 'Good news for Indian football lovers. Both our men and women teams will participate in the upcoming Asian Games. He further said, 'The Ministry of Sports and Youth Welfare, Government of India has decided to relax the rules to ensure the participation of these two teams. Both teams were not qualifying according to the current criteria. Thakur said, 'In view of his performance recently, the ministry decided to relax the rules. I am confident that they will make the country proud by performing their best in the Asian Games.
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According to the selection criteria for the team's team competitions, only the teams living on the top eight in the continental rankings are allowed to play in the Asian Games. The Indian men's football team has ranked 18 in Asia while the women's team has 11. The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October.
