Why were India's football teams excluded??

The exclusion stems from a long-standing policy enforced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The government requires team sports to meet a specific ranking threshold to participate in multi-sport events, a metric that currently supersedes qualification through sporting merit.

This policy mandates that national teams in sports like football must be ranked among the top eight in Asia to receive government clearance for participation in multi-sport events like the Asian Games. Currently, the Indian men's team sits 26th in Asia (138th globally), and the women's team is ranked 13th in Asia, both falling well outside the ministry's required threshold.

While this "top-eight" rule had previously led to similar exclusion threats for the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games, the government had provided last-minute relaxations in 2023 to allow participation; however, no such intervention occurred for the 2026 edition, and both teams have since been replaced in the tournament draws.

#sports #asiangames

India has a profound football history at the Asian Games:

The men's team won:

Gold – New Delhi 1951

Gold – Jakarta 1962

Bronze – Bangkok 1970


#sports #asiangames

INS Mahendragiri (F38), the 6th indigenous Project 17A stealth frigate, has been commissioned into the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet at Visakhapatnam. Designed in-house by the Navy and built by MDL, she further strengthens India's frontline maritime combat capability. #Defence

The 78-year-old "Churan" of liberation sold by the Pak Army is officially dead and exposed in Pakistan’s Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

Protest leader Javed Iqbal exposes Islamabad's hypocrisy at Rawalakot:

"For 78 years, they sold us the 'Srinagar liberation' Churan. That fake Churan is now expired, Kashmiris are no longer buying it.

When we ask for flour we get bullets, when we ask for electricity we get bullets, when we ask for water we get bullets. PoK is done with Pakistan."

~ via Shivank Mishra

The #defence ministry is all set to float a request for proposal (RFP) inviting private-sector firms and conglomerates to manufacture the 180-200km range Astra Mark 2 missile.

Those in race are ICOMM, Adani, Bharat Forge, Tata and Mahindra.

Air India ranked fourth globally for on-time performance in June,

86.85% of over 15,000 flights arriving on time.

#Aviation
https://t.co/tXNaKJ4P3n

The newly inaugurated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is once again under scrutiny after fresh reports of soil subsidence and cracks on cement embankments emerged following three days of continuous rainfall.

The latest trouble spot is a ramp at an intersection near Shamli’s Baburi area in UP where the NH-709 and Panipat-Khatima highway crosses the new corridor. #Infra

More details 🔗 toi.in/5g9cuZ89

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the governing body will examine the possibility of expanding the men's FIFA World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition. Speaking after the success of the 48-team 2026 tournament, Infantino said the proposal will be discussed by FIFA's relevant committees.

#Sports

🇮🇷🚀🇰🇼🇺🇸 Iran launches Fresh Strikes on Kuwait. US base and Kuwait's Port of Shuwaikh is the target of this Fresh Wave

🇮🇷⚔️🇺🇸🇶🇦 We now have Satellite Visual to Confirm that indeed Iranian Missile impacted the US Al Udeid Air base in Qatar. 2 Impacts confirmed.

India declares one-day national mourning on the demise of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Father of the Amir of the State of Qatar. He ruled as the Amir of Qatar from 1995-2013

National Flag to fly at Half-mast tomorrow, i.e. 13 July,2026 : MEA

#ForeignAffairs #Policy