New Delhi: An increased number of 225 Indian athletes will visit Gold Coast, Australia, to participate in this year's Commonwealth Games, which is slated to be held from April 4 to April 15.
While the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has decided to raise the number of quota places for Indian sportspersons in two disciplines - boxing and athletics, it has reduced the number of quota places for the country`s athletes in other disciplines, notably gymnastics, shooting and cycling.
India's official contingent of 225 athletes will participate in a total number of 15 sports disciplines in the tournament, as compared to the total number of 215 participants at the Glasgow CWG in 2014.
Earlier, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as well as the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had urged the CGF to raise the number of quota places for the Indian pugilists. After accepting the request, the CGF has increased the quota number to 12 in boxing - an increase of one quota place in women`s category, which means the BFI could now send one more woman boxer in contrast to three women boxers at Glasgow 2014.
Meanwhile, a total of seven more quota places have been offered in athletics, thus taking the size of Indian contingent to 37 as compared to Glasgow`s 32 in the discipline.
In basketball, the CGF has decided to straightaway add 24 quota places (12 men and 12 women) to the country`s overall contingent size. It will be after a gap of eight years that the basketball teams would participate at the CWG.
However, there is a fall in the number of quota place in gymnastics as it has been reduced from 10 at Glasgow to seven (two men and five women) this time around.
Here is the sport-wise breakup of Indian contingent:
Aquatics: Men - 3 (Total: 3)
Athletics: Men - 23, Women - 14 (Total 37)
Badminton: Men - 4, Women - 5 (Total: 9)
Basketball (qualification): Men - 12, Women -12 (Total 24)
Boxing: Men - 8, Women - 4 (Total 12)
Cycling: Men - 6, Women - 3 (Total 9)
Gymnastics: Men - 2, Women - 5 (Total 7)
Hockey (qualification): Men - 18, Women - 18 (Total 36)
Lawn Bowls: Men - 5, Women - 5 (Total 10)
Shooting: Men - 15, Women - 12 (Total 27)
Squash: Men - 5, Women - 2 (Total 7)
Table Tennis: Men - 5 , Women - 5 (Total 10)
Weightlifting (qualification): Men - 8, Women - 8 (Total 16)
Wrestling: Men - 6, Women - 6 (Total 12)
Para sport: Men - 3, Women - 3 (Total 6)
