Asian Games: Karate team leaves without coaches; equestrian riders caught in accred maze

NEW DELHI: India’s karate team is heading to the Asiad without a dedicated coach while five equestrian riders in Tokyo are scrambling to get accreditation for their personal coaches. Some are even considering a two-hour train journey to Nagoya to sort out the issue in person, TOI has learnt.For the karate contingent, reigning Asian champion Alisha Choudhary’s repeated pleas to sports authorities and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials for accreditation for her coach, Vikas Panchal, have gone unheard. The two-member team also includes Chetan Bhatt (men’s kumite 84kg), with Adikessava Peroumal Sinouvassane the designated ‘team leader’.When the sports ministry’s sanction clearing coaches was issued on September 2, no coach was named for karate. Alisha has since sent multiple emails and reminders, underlining that Panchal has trained her for 11 years and guided her to every major international achievement, including her historic gold at the 2026 Asian Karate Championship. He is certified by the World Karate Federation and Asian Karate Federation and has accompanied her to international camps and competitions.Interestingly, during a bout, only a coach can occupy the coaching corner and seek a video review by throwing the challenge block onto the mat. The team leader cannot perform those duties, leaving India’s karate athletes without vital technical and tactical support.The equestrian camp, meanwhile, is caught in its own accreditation scramble. All five foreign coaches are awaiting accreditation and, without it, cannot enter the competition or training venue. The riders are coordinating by phone with IOA contingent staff based in Aichi and Nagoya, a logistical headache made worse by the distance between the two locations.Some riders are now contemplating a roughly two-hour train journey from Tokyo to Nagoya simply to meet IOA officials and get their coaches’ accreditations sorted, potentially losing an entire day of crucial training.It is learnt the five coaches were approved late by the IOA and sports authorities, despite the rider-horse combinations and coaches’ names having been shared with the IOA in May. The riders had also been following up on travel approvals.None of these five coaches are govt funded. Their entire Games expenses will be borne by the riders themselves. Yet, they are still struggling for the accreditation needed to do the job. The accreditation troubles come on top of the equestrian contingent scrambling for hay, bedding and fodder for their horses, with the IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee citing a “shortage of govt funds”.