Indian football's "rapid strides in recent past" and an upsurge in public interest in the sport presented a "compelling case" for the inclusion of the men's and women's teams for the upcoming Asian Games, national federation president Kalyan Chaubey said.
The participation of the Indian men's and women's football sides in the Hangzhou Games was earlier in doubt as per the sports ministry's criteria of sending teams which are ranked in top-8 in the continent.
The sports ministry later cleared both the teams by relaxing the criteria after an appeal from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Head coach Igor Stimac had also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter. "Indian football has been making rapid strides in the recent past.