Manu Bhaker urges Indian athletes to ignore Asian Games issues and give their best
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker has urged her fellow Indian athletes to put the distractions surrounding the Asian Games behind them and concentrate on the opportunity in front of them, as the Aichi-Nagoya Games officially begin in Japan.
The build-up to the continental showpiece has been clouded by complaints over accommodation, transportation and arrangements for athletes. Several competitors and officials have raised concerns about long journeys to training venues and other organisational challenges. Bhaker, however, believes the athletes should conserve their energy for competition rather than dwelling on the problems.
"To all my fellow athletes from India, we will have some issues. I saw couple of issues circulated in social media and people telling me these are the issues," Bhaker said in a video message shared by the Indian Olympic Association.
"Regardless of whatever the issues we have, this is probably once in a lifetime opportunity and experience. We have to make sure that we enjoy the time rather than complaining," she added.
For Bhaker, the priority is clear: the preparation is already done and athletes must now concentrate on executing their plans when they compete.
"We have prepared the best we can and so we must try to perform the best we can. We have worked so hard to be here and we should not waste our energy in pointing out that this is not right and that is not right," she said.
"Medal may come or not, that is another story, but we must give our best."
Bhaker's message comes as India begins its campaign with a sizeable contingent at the Games. India has sent 499 athletes to the 2026 Asian Games, with competitors set to take part across 36 sports. The country had its most successful Asian Games campaign in Hangzhou in 2022, winning 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.
The 24-year-old shooter will herself carry considerable expectations in Japan. At the Paris Olympics in 2024, she became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Games, taking bronze in the women's 10m air pistol and the mixed team 10m air pistol event with Sarabjot Singh.FROM 16-YEAR-OLD TO FLAG-BEARER
The Asian Games also offer Bhaker a chance to reflect on how far she has travelled since making her debut at the event as a teenager.
"When I came to know of this (being chosen as one of the flagbearers), I had flashbacks of my earlier days. When I started, I never thought I would reach this far one day. It's definitely feeling proud and honoured," she said.
Bhaker recalled that she was only 16 when she competed at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia. She did not attend the opening ceremony then, making her selection as one of India's flag-bearers for the 2026 edition particularly meaningful.
She is competing in three events in Aichi-Nagoya β the women's 10m air pistol, women's 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team event.
While the organisational concerns remain part of the wider conversation around the Games, Bhaker's message was aimed at keeping the athletes' attention on what they travelled to Japan to do: compete, perform and make the most of a major international sporting opportunity.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 13:59 IST
