‘We Are Helpless’: Indian Rowers At Asian Games Consider Complaining To Sports Ministry

Last Updated:September 23, 2026, 7:40 PM IST

Indian men’s rowing team members may approach the sports ministry over last-minute crew changes at the Asian Games.

Mansukh Mandaviya. (PTI Photo)

Some members of India’s men’s rowing team are considering approaching the sports ministry, led by Mansukh L. Mandaviya, over the last-minute changes to their crew combinations at the 2026 Asian Gameswith the controversy continuing even after the competition began in Nagoya on Wednesday.

At least two rowers told news agency PTI that athletes were unhappy with the changes and felt they had been made too close to their events. One rower said some players could file a complaint after returning to India.

“Our combinations were changed in the last minute and that has affected our performances. Suddenly, you are putting a different rower to row just before the event starts, how do you adjust with that? The result can be anything, say in pairs or fours, where you need synchronisation and rhythm, etc,” the rower said on condition of anonymity.

“Yes, we were helpless, we had to compete. But we were forced (to compete) in a way the coaches and the federation wanted. We plan to make a complaint about this to the sports ministry after the Games,” he added.

The controversy concerns India’s 17 male rowers and does not involve the five female members of the contingent.

Rowing Federation of India (RFI) president Balaji Maradapa, however, defended the changes and said the matter had been resolved. He explained that the rowing schedule had been reduced from four days to two following weather disruptions caused by Typhoon Dujuan and heavy rain at the venue.

The competition was originally scheduled to begin on September 21 but started on September 23. With events now spread across only two days and four sessions, Maradapa said it was not possible for the same rowers to compete repeatedly.

Maradapa said the new combinations were decided at a managers’ meeting before the competition, with Australian rowing expert Antony Patterson and two senior Indian coaches involved in the decision, adding that other countries had also made changes because of the revised schedule.

Maradapa also accused an unnamed former coach of influencing some young rowers.

India won five rowing medals at the previous Asian Games, including two silver and three bronze. On Wednesday, Indian crews reached the Final A in four events.

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Why did Indian rowers consider complaining to the sports ministry at the Asian Games?

Some members of India’s men’s rowing team felt helpless and considered filing a complaint because last-minute changes to their crew combinations affected their performance and synchronisation. The alterations forced athletes to compete with different partners just before events started.

How did the Rowing Federation of India defend the crew changes in Nagoya?

Rowing Federation of India president Balaji Maradapa explained that weather disruptions caused by Typhoon Dujuan and heavy rain forced the competition schedule to be reduced from four days to two. Because events were compressed into two days, it was impossible for the same rowers to compete repeatedly, leading to new combinations decided at a managers’ meeting.

Which rowers were affected by the crew adjustments at the Asian Games?

The controversy affected 17 male rowers in the contingent, including Arvind Singh being moved from single sculls to quadruple sculls and Balraj Panwar shifting to single sculls. Additionally, Saurav Kumar and Vipul Satish made way for Nitin Kumar and Jaswinder Singh in the men’s pair.

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