Controversial coach sacked as India announce 166-member squad for Asian Para Games

The Sports Ministry has removed under-fire para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal from India's Asian Para Games-bound contingent. India are sending 166 athletes to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, after a controversy-hit selection process also triggered objections from para-cyclists.India have finally announced their Asian Para Games squad. (PCI Photo)New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 15:33 ISTThe Sports Ministry has removed under-fire para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal from India's Asian Para Games-bound contingent, approving a 166-member athlete squad following a controversy-hit selection process that triggered protests by shooters and cyclists. The squad comes 5 days after the contingent was officially flagged off in New Delhi.Long-serving national coach Jeevan L Rai has replaced Nautiyal in the contingent for the Games, which begin in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on October 18. Nautiyal had been accused of not following established selection criteria and demanding kickbacks in exchange for selecting athletes, allegations that led to protests by para-shooters and demands for his removal.SHOOTERS STAGE PROTESTSeveral shooters gathered outside the Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters to demand Nautiyal's removal and an investigation into the allegations. They also met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to present their grievances after attempting to disrupt the contingent's send-off ceremony last week.The Ministry's decision to remove Nautiyal comes after the selection process for the continental showpiece was clouded by allegations of irregularities, with para-shooters and cyclists raising objections to the way the squads were finalised. With 94 team officials and support staff and 15 contingent staff, India's total delegation for the Games will comprise 275 members across 10 disciplines.PARA-ATHLETICS FORM LARGEST CONTINGENTPara-athletics forms the largest part of the athlete contingent, with 62 competitors, including 46 men. The discipline will have a support staff of 36. World Championships medallist Simran, the visually impaired sprinter whose previous guide, Umar Saifi, was caught in the doping net, is also part of the squad. She will compete in Aichi-Nagoya with a new guide, Shivam.The Ministry has also resisted calls for last-minute additions to the para-cycling squad despite protests by omitted cyclists. It has approved only Paralympian Arshad Shaik, who was the best performer among those in contention and comfortably met the selection criteria.Six other cyclists had been selected by the Cycling Federation of India and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), but were subsequently omitted for failing to meet the criteria.Among the prominent names in the table tennis contingent is Paralympic silver medallist Bhavina Patel.The 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 and former Paralympic silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj. The team will have a support staff of 11.Armless compound archer Sheetal Devi, who won two gold medals at the previous Para Asian Games, will be among India's leading medal contenders. The 19-year-old world champion will be joined by 18-year-old Payal Nag, who attracted attention earlier this year by beating Sheetal at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok.The 13-member para-shooting squad, which was at the centre of the selection controversy, includes Paralympic gold medallist Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal. Agarwal secured a quota place for India at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics by winning silver at the recent World Championships in South Korea.- Ends