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The Sports Ministry removed para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal from the Para Asian Games contingent amid kickback allegations, replacing him with Jeevan L Rai.
Sheetal Devi won two gold medals at the previous Para Asiad. (PTI Photo)
The Sports Ministry has removed controversial para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal from India’s contingent for the Para Asian Games, clearing a final list of 166 athletes following a contentious selection process that triggered protests among shooters and cyclists.
The Games will begin on October 18 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Nautiyal has been replaced in the Indian contingent by veteran national coach Jeevan L Rai.
Nautiyal had faced accusations of disregarding established selection criteria and seeking kickbacks in exchange for squad selection. Several shooters protested outside the Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters, calling for his removal and an inquiry into the allegations.
The aggrieved athletes also met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to raise their concerns after trying to disrupt the contingent’s send-off ceremony last week.
India’s delegation for the continental event will comprise 275 members, including 166 athletes, 94 team officials and support staff, and 15 contingent staff. The athletes will compete across 10 disciplines.
Para-athletics accounts for the biggest share of the Indian team, with 62 athletes, including 46 men, supported by a staff of 36.
Visually impaired sprinter Simran, a World Championships medallist whose former guide Umar Saifi was caught in a doping case, has been included in the squad for Aichi-Nagoya. She will compete at the Games alongside her new guide, Shivam.
The Ministry has resisted calls to make last-minute additions to the cycling team despite protests from excluded riders. It has cleared only Paralympian Arshad Shaik, who emerged as the strongest performer among the contenders and comfortably fulfilled the selection criteria.
Six other cyclists selected by the Cycling Federation of India and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) were left out because they failed to meet the required standards.
The approved table tennis team features several accomplished players, including Paralympic silver medallist Bhavina Patel.
India’s 28-member badminton squad, comprising 17 men and 11 women, will be led by former world number one and Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat, alongside former Paralympic silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj. The team will have 11 support staff members.
Armless compound archer Sheetal Devi, who claimed two gold medals at the previous Para Asiad, will be among India’s leading medal prospects once again.
The 19-year-old world champion will be joined by 18-year-old Payal Nag, another emerging talent who drew considerable attention earlier this year by defeating Sheetal at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok.
India’s 13-member shooting team, which has been at the centre of the selection controversy, includes Paralympic gold medallist Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal, among others. Agarwal earned a quota place for India at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after winning silver at the recent World Championships in Korea.
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Ask News18Jai Prakash Nautiyal was removed from the contingent after facing accusations of disregarding selection criteria and seeking kickbacks in exchange for squad selection.
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Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
October 13, 2026, 2:16 PM IST
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