New Delhi, Sept 22: As many as 58 athletes and students of Lovely Professional University (LPU) are set to represent India at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with the university saying its athletes will compete across 15 sporting disciplines.
According to LPU, its athletes account for around 11 per cent of India’s 503-member contingent for the continental Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
The university said its representation includes athletes in archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, canoeing and kayaking, cricket, hockey, karate, rowing, rugby, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.
Among the prominent names in the contingent are archers Bommadevara Dhiraj and Taniparthi Chikitha, shooters Elavenil Valarivan and Neeru, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, cricketer Ishan Kishan, hockey players Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh, and weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu.
Canoeing and kayaking has the largest representation from LPU with 10 athletes, followed by shooting with nine, hockey with eight, wrestling with seven and rowing with six. Archery has five representatives, while athletics and boxing have three each.
The university said its athletes also include representatives in swimming, badminton, cricket, weightlifting, karate, rugby and wushu.
Dr Ashok Kumar Mittal, Founder Chancellor of LPU, said the university aimed to create an ecosystem in which sporting talent received institutional support alongside academic education.
“Our vision is to build an ecosystem where sporting talent receives the same depth of institutional support as academic excellence,” Mittal said, adding that the university provides professional training, modern facilities and academic flexibility to student-athletes.
LPU said its sports ecosystem includes specialised infrastructure, professional coaching, scholarships, financial assistance and academic support to help athletes balance competitive sport with higher education.
The university also highlighted its representation at recent Olympic Games. It said 24 of its students represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while 13 participated at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Asian Games representation includes athletes from both established Olympic disciplines and other competitive sports, according to the university.
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