SAI launches karate camp for Asian Games 2026 preparation

The Sports Authority of India has approved a 45-day karate coaching camp in Lucknow under the TAGG scheme, providing Rs 1.42 crore support. The camp prepares 48 core athletes for the 2026 Asian Games, ensuring training despite NSF derecognition

Hyderabad: The Sports Authority of India (SAI), through the Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme, is ensuring India’s karatekas get the best exposure in the crucial build-up to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

SAI has approved a 45-day Senior National Coaching Camp for karate, currently underway from November 17 to December 31 at the SAI Regional Centre in Lucknow. The camp features 64 members, including 48 athletes, 12 coaches and 4 support staff. The entire camp has been sanctioned with financial assistance of Rs 1.42 crore under the Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) Scheme.

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One of the key aims of the camp is to ensure the identified 48 core athletes – 24 male and 24 female – get full access to training facilities and continue their high-performance training despite NSF derecognition. The camp is providing coaching and sports science support, equipment, recovery inputs and seamless preparation for both the men’s and women’s squads.

With Asian Games qualification standards and international benchmarks rising rapidly, the national coaching camp in Lucknow will further identify top talents who will gain exposure opportunities abroad in the build-up to the Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4 next year.

Since no NSF is currently recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), SAI constituted an Organising Committee for Karate in July this year to manage all aspects of the sport, from athlete selection to coaching camps and foreign exposure.

To ensure a transparent and fair selection pathway, the committee conducted Open National Selection Trials in the senior category from October 12–14 at the SAI Training Centre in NEHU Campus, Shillong.

The trials were fully managed by the Karate Organising Committee of SAI, ensuring compliance with international norms, anti-doping rules and videography-based evaluation.

The committee will remain functional until an NSF is officially recognised by MYAS, ensuring athletes face no administrative hurdles in their preparation cycle. Besides karate, similar committees are also governing martial arts sports Ju-Jitsu and Kurash.