CHANDIGARH: After the Indian women's dragon boat team, led by Zirakpur girl
Prabhjot Kaur won a silver and a bronze in the recently-concluded 5th Asian Dragon Boat Championship in China's Yunnan province, the
Indian Olympic Association (
IOA) changed its earlier decision to drop the sport from the Indian Asiad squad and gave its permission for the Indian dragon boat teams to participate in the
Asian Games to be held in Indonesia from August 12.
"It is true that they (IOA) gave their commitment to us that we can participate in the Asian Games,"
Prashant Kushwaha, the secretary general of
Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association told TOI.
"Although they haven't given us an official letter, we have been asked by the IOA to organise a camp for Asiad. The camp will be held in Chandigarh from July 15 at Sukhna Lake," he added.
The Indian dragon boat teams had won a silver and two bronzes in the Asian championship. Indian women's team won the silver in the 500-metre race, staving off competition from powerhouse teams like China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. They also won a bronze in the 200m race and the mixed team added another bronze in the 500m race.
When asked why the dragon boat teams had been dropped from the Indian list initially, Kushwaha said, "IOA told us that list was made before June 30 and that's why they had struck out dragon boat teams from the list. But after our performance in the 5th Asian Dragon Boat Championship, they changed their mind."
Prabhjot, who had highlighted the Union government's apathy towards water sports, has vowed to leave no stone unturned to win the gold for India in the Asian Games. "It is indeed heartening to hear that our performance was noticed by IOA. We will give our best to win the gold in the Asiad," she said.