Asian Games 2026: Indian hockey teams don saffron jerseys in opening matches

The Indian hockey groups, each women and men, turned up in saffron kits for his or her respective opening matches of the Asian Games on Sunday (September 20, 2026) regardless of the pre-event declaration by Hockey India that they’d revert to blue uniforms.

The 2 Indian groups had first performed in saffron throughout final month’s World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands, which created an enormous controversy.

The choice triggered inner discord when HI president Dilip Tirkey acknowledged that the change was applied with out the information or approval of the federation’s elected management and Govt Board.

It will definitely snowballed right into a full-blown turf struggle within the federation with Tirkey at odds with HI secretary Bhola Nath Singh, who’s perceived to have pushed the change of package color.

However quickly after the World Cup and simply earlier than the Asian Video games, Tirkey asserted that India will revert to the long-lasting blue jersey on the continental extravaganza as their main package together with white.

“The Indian Olympic Affiliation [IOA] had given us choices concerning the crew package colors, and Hockey India chosen blue as the primary alternative for the Indian crew’s package. Orange would be the second alternative,” Tirkey had mentioned through the send-off ceremony of the Asian Video games-bound Indian contingent.

However each the lads’s and ladies’s groups turned out in saffron jerseys of their opening matches towards Indonesia and Uzbekistan, respectively, in Kakamilgahara (Japan), on the Asian Video games on Sunday (September 20, 2026).

A Hockey India supply, requesting anonymity, acknowledged that the secondary kits will not be even going to be all-blue however a mix of white and blue together with the saffron apparel.

“The 2 colors for the Indian groups’ enjoying kits for the Asian Video games 2026 had been all the time saffron and the mixture of white and sky blue, which was authorised by the HI president himself.

“As to why the president then mentioned that India will put on all-blue on the Asian Video games is one thing it’s good to ask the president himself,” the HI supply advised PTI.

The rationale offered for altering the jersey color was that enjoying in blue jerseys on a blue turf triggered visibility points.

The Indian hockey groups have largely worn blue jerseys because the nation made its Olympic debut in 1928, aside from just a few remoted situations.