The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has brought out the Selection Criteria for participation of Individuals and Teams in the Asian Games 2026 and other multi-sports events. The decision has been taken with a view to laying down a transparent and equitable framework aiming to ensure that the athletes who have a real chance of winning a medal are only considered for participation in multi-disciplinary sports events.

The selection criteria have laid down benchmarks, both for measurable and non-measurable events, which will be guiding principles to decide on participation in multi-sports events such as Asian Games, Para Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympics and Asian Youth Games. These criteria will not apply to the Olympics and other international competitions where athlete or team participation is determined by qualification standards set by the respective international federations.