Asian Games 2023: Indian Football Teams To Leave For Hangzhou On Sunday

The Indian men's and women's football teams will fly out to Hangzhou on Sunday night for the Asian Games, quelling speculation about some logistical issues with regards to the flight tickets. Bhupender Singh Bajwa, the Indian chef de mission for the Asian Games, told PTI on Saturday that the tickets had been "issued". The Asian Games are scheduled to commence on September 23 but the football event will kick off from September 19.

"Both the teams are leaving for Hangzhou tomorrow night. Both the tickets have been issued just now (late on Saturday evening). One team is going by Cathay Pacific while the other will be departing by Singapore Airlines," said Bajwa.

Bajwa also said that his staff, including the deputy chefs de mission, had already reached Hangzhou, while he would be leaving after two days.

Earlier, an All India Football Federation (AIFF) official said that he was confident the teams would fly out on Sunday.

"There are a lot of logistics involved when contingents travel for multi-discipline sporting events and at times there can be some issues here and there. I'm not aware that the tickets have been booked but if the chef de mission is saying this, he would know better as he is the head of the Indian contingent," said the official.

The men's and women's football teams were cleared after the AIFF and the Indian men's side chief coach Igor Stimac pleaded with the sports ministry to give them an opportunity to compete at the Games despite both the sides not fulfilling the criteria laid down by the ministry.

The ministry took into consideration the Indian men's team's recent successes at home against some tough sides before agreeing to their participation in the quadrennial showpiece.

The Sunil Chhetri-led men's