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India to return to blue kits at Asian Games 2026 after saffron controversy: Hockey India
The Indian hockey team will return to wearing its traditional blue jersey at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
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The Indian hockey team will return to wearing its traditional blue jersey at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, Hockey India (HI) has confirmed.
The Indian men's and women's teams had donned the saffron jersey as their primary kit during the Hockey World Cup, which took place last month in the Netherlands and Belgium, and were slated to wear it during the Asian Games as well. The decision was taken on July 27, with Hockey India explaining that the move was purely a technical call to avoid visual similarity with the blue turf on which games are played.
However, the move drew immense criticism from several former captains, including Viren Rasquinha, Dhanraj Pillay, Ajit Pal Singh, Vasudevan Baskaran and Pargat Singh. It also triggered a bit of wrangling within Hockey India, with president Dilip Tirkey saying that the decision was taken without his knowledge, while secretary Bhola Nath Singh insisted that "all officials were aware" of the change.
However, just before the two Indian hockey teams departed for the Asian Games, HI reversed its decision on the primary kit.
“Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asked us our preferred choice of kit and HI has given the first preference as blue, with the secondary colour being saffron,” said HI treasurer Shekar Manoharan.
Although Tirkey had initially maintained that the move to change the colour of the jersey affected "on-field clarity and visibility for the players", in an internal mail to HI officials, the veteran Hockey player stated that the decision was taken "without being placed before the Executive Board for discussion and without my prior knowledge."
For Tirkey, the choice of the colour was not a concern, but he insisted that the decision should have been taken in consultation with the elected leadership.
Donning the saffron, India's men's team had finished eighth at the World Cup after just two wins in six matches. The women's team, on the other hand, showed great fight to finish fifth in the World Cup, with two wins and three draws in six matches.
Back to blue, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side, the defending champions, will be looking for an unprecedented fifth Asian Games title. The women's team, on the other hand, will be aiming for their first top-of-the-podium finish in 44 years. They had finished third in the 2022 edition.
