NAGOYA: If true, this is something unheard of during any Games, leave alone Asian Games. There could be a potential revolt in the rowing team due to last minute changes in the entries. In fact, some of the rowers are hoping things would resolve but a huge confusion was created. If sources are to be believed, some of the rowers have been shifted from their pet events while another player who was a reserve found his way into the team.
This happened just after the morning practice here at the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya on Monday. The rowing competitions scheduled to start on September 20 was postponed to September 23 because of the impending typhoon on the Pacific coast around September 21. The team management shunted players from one category to the other, which according to some cannot be possible because the rules do not allow so.
This apparently has been done because India have had a terrible outing at the World Championships just before the Asian Games. Sources close to the development say that double sculls Navdeep Singh and Kulwinder Singh were shifted out of the event and moved to Quad. Salman and Satnam, who earlier were in Quad, replaced them in double sculls.
This was apparently decided on Monday morning after training, two days before the commencement of rowing competitions with coaches and federation officials in attendance. Balraj Panwar, who was in Quadruple sculls was shifted to single sculls while Arvind Singh was moved out of the event and put in Quad. Vipul Ghurde would be shifted from the men’s pair to Coxless 4. Saurav Kumar was sent to reserve while Jasmail Singh who was reserve made his way into Coxless 4. The duo was replaced by Nitin Kumar and Jaswinder Singh in the men's pair. They were in Coxless 4 before the big switch.
According to a senior rowing official, 50 per cent of crew can be changed in case of medical emergency but players allege this was complete change.