Parliament Question: Withdrawal of foreign athletes from sports events

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3194 ANSWERED ON- 19/03/2026 WITHDRAWAL OF FOREIGN ATHLETES FROM SPORTS EVENTS 3194. SHRI MALLIKARJUN KHARGE Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state : (a) the number of international events hosted in India during the last five years in which foreign teams or athletes withdrew, declined participation or sought rescheduling, year-wise and category- wise, along with specific concerns cited, including air pollution, heat stress, safety or other environmental and health-related factors; (b) the details of such events, including sports, venues, number of countries originally invited and number of withdrawals; (c) whether any advisories or contingency measures were issued by sports authorities in response to such concerns; and (d) the steps taken to ensure that environmental and health-related conditions do not affect athlete safety or international participation in future events? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA) (a) to (d) International sporting events in India are organized by the concerned National Sports Federations (NSFs) in coordination with International Federations and Local Organizing Committees. Issues relating to participation, withdrawal, scheduling, and communication with foreign teams are handled directly by the organizers as per applicable international regulations. Withdrawals or non-participation are communicated to the concerned federations and is not mandatorily reported to this Ministry. However, some NSFs have informed about few instances of non-participation or withdrawals by foreign athletes or teams on account of personal grounds, flight constraints, geo-political situation prevailing at the time of event held, political unrest within their own countries, etc. The Government through Sports Authority of India works closely with NSFs to ensure that international events in India adhere to the guidelines of International Federations, with due emphasis on athlete safety, infrastructure, medical support, environmental monitoring, and overall safety standards. ***** Page 1 of 1