The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) has announced an 11-member team for the 2018 Asian Games, part of a 524-member contingent of which most headlines have involved the controversial decision to omit the country’s soccer teams from the delegation.
After April’s Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games will be the other primary summer championship for India. The meet will feature swimming from August 19th-24th in a full schedule of Olympic and non-Olympic events (though only a mixed medley).
At the last edition of the Asian Games, in 2014, India sent 7 swimmers – all male – with the highest finish being a bronze medal in the 50 breaststroke from Sandeep Sejwal. That marked just the 9th swimming medal for India in the history of the Asian Games, with 6 of those coming at the first edition of swimming at the Asian Games hosted in New Delhi in 1951.
Sejwal will return for 2018, as will 4 other members of that 2014 team: Sajan Prakash, Aaron D’Souza, Anshul Kothari, and Saurabh Sangvekar.
The roster is bigger, at 11 swimmers, but still has not found room for a female swimmer: all 11 are men.
India’s Roster:
- Vidhawal Khade
- Sandeep Sejwal
- Sajan Prakash
- Srihari Nataraj
- Advait Page
- Aaron Agnel D’Souza
- Anshul Kothari
- Arvind Mani
- Saurabh Sangvekar
- Avinash Mani
- Neel Roy