Ahead of Asian Games 2026, Sport Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tells hockey teams to focus on LA Olympics 2028 qualification

Sport Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wants both Indian men’s and women’s hockey team to aim for Olympics qualification at Asian Games 2026 this month.

Published: September 8, 2026, 5:08 PM IST

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Indian women hockey captain Salima Tete (from left), goalkeeper Savita Punia and Lalremsiami Hmar Zote(Photo: PTI)

Asian Games 2026: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked the Indian hockey teams to focus on identifying and rectifying their shortcomings rather than dwelling on World Cup performance, with the Asian Games 2026 now the priority to secure qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028Mandaviya held a review meeting on Monday with men’s team coach Craig Fulton, captain Harmanpreet Singh, women’s team coach Sjoerd Marijne and captain Salima Tete and Hockey India officials following India’s campaign at the recently concluded FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.

According to a ministry source, the meeting at the SAI headquarters lasted around an hour and was attended by the captains and coaches of both teamsSports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, secretary general Bholanath Singh, TOPS CEO NS Johal and senior officials of the Sports Authority of India were also present at the meeting.

“The Sports Minister told both teams to forget the disappointment of the World Cup and aim to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics with a strong performance at the Asian Games,” the source said.

-! ✈️

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team has departed for Japan, ready to chase glory at the Asian Games 2026!

Eyes on the Gold!

️ September 19 – October 4
Aichi-Nagoya, Japan#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #AsianGames2026… pic.twitter.com/S5AF3bOsAF

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 8, 2026

The minister also asked the teams to identify the reasons behind their setbacks and work on eliminating the shortcomings“He told them that the SAI Centre in Bengaluru has all the facilities, but if anything else is needed to win a medal, the government is ready to helpHe also said that instead of relying on a few players, the goal should be to perform well as a team,” the source said.

The Indian men’s team finished eighth at the World Cup, held from August 15 to 30Harmanpreet and his team had entered the tournament with hopes of winning India’s first men’s World Cup medal since 1975 but managed victories only over Wales and Pakistan in the group stage.

The women’s team, however, produced a historic campaign, finishing fifth — their best-ever World Cup result since the inaugural edition in 1974India lost only one match during the tournament, against co-hosts the Netherlands, but were knocked out of the semi-final race after a goalless draw against AustraliaThey secured fifth place by defeating higher-ranked Germany in the classification match.

During the World Cup, members of the women’s team had also appealed to save Hockey India League amid reports that the future of the competition was uncertain following the withdrawal of some franchisesThe issue was also discussed during Monday’s meeting.

“The Sports Minister also spoke with Hockey India officials about the league and said that just as efforts were made for the ISL in football, every effort should be made to protect and run the Hockey league,” the source said.

Mandaviya also met officials and players of the Badminton Association of India following the World Badminton Championships, which were held in Delhi last month.

– with PTI inputs