New Delhi, June 1: The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) announced on Monday that it has included several rowers in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Development Group ahead of the Asian Games 2026, set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya.
This list was compiled following the annual national selection trials and crew finalization conducted by the Indian Rowing Federation (IRF).
A total of 22 rowers across six different boat categories are now part of the TOPS Development Group. This crew will prepare for major international rowing competitions, including the Asian Games and the World Cup circuit. Notable names included in the group are Paris 2024 Olympian Balraj Panwar, Asian Games 2022 silver medalist Arvind Singh, and double medalist Jaswinder Singh.
The 22 rowers have been categorized into various boat groups, which include Men’s Single Sculls (M1X), Men’s Double Sculls (M2X), Men’s Quadruple Sculls (M4X), Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2X), Men’s Coxed Eight (M4-), and Women’s Coxless Four (W4-).
Most of these athletes are being specifically prepared with a focus on the Asian Games 2026 cycle, while some crews are also part of India’s broader international development path, targeting future competitions such as the Commonwealth Games 2030.
The inclusion of these Indian rowers in the TOPS Development Group is not just about focusing on individual medal prospects. It aims to build a sustainable ‘bench strength’ across multiple boat categories. India is set to host the centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2030, making it crucial to strengthen rowing infrastructure and enhance the depth of athletes in terms of both quantity and quality. Rowing has not been featured in the Commonwealth Games since the 1986 edition in Edinburgh, but it may make a return in the centenary edition.
Here’s the list of the included TOPS Development rowers:
Men’s Single Sculls – Arvind Singh.
Men’s Double Sculls – Navdeep Singh, Kulwinder Singh.
Men’s Quadruple Sculls – Balraj Panwar, Satnam Singh, Jakhar Khan, Salman Khan.
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls – Lakshya, Ujjwal Kumar Singh.
Men’s Coxed Eight – Jaswinder Singh, Nitin Kumar, Babulal Yadav, Yogesh Kumar, Ghurde Vipul Satish, Saurav Kumar, Iqbal Singh, Sunny Kumar, Dhananjay Uttam Pandey.
Women’s Coxless Four – Gurbani Kaur, Poonam, Tenden Thoi, Alina Anto.
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