New Delhi (GNP): India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams will return to their traditional blue jerseys at this month’s Asian Games, reversing the orange kit that drew sharp criticism during the recent World Cup. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey confirmed the switch at an Asian Games send-off event in New Delhi, ending weeks of debate over the team’s colours.
The orange kit, worn at the World Cup held across Belgium and the Netherlands, had angered Hockey India officials and several former players. Critics linked the bright orange shade to the political symbolism of saffron, a colour associated with Hindu nationalism and India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Tirkey said the decision to abandon blue had never been intended as permanent, noting that questions about the kit had been raised even before the World Cup began.
Announcing the reversal, Tirkey said both national teams would wear blue as their primary colour at the Asian Games, which open on 19 September in Nagoya-Aichi, with saffron retained only as a secondary option. He had previously said he was not consulted before the switch to saffron was made, a decision some observers viewed as politically motivated.
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The change drew condemnation from several former India captains, including Pargat Singh, Dhanraj Pillay, Ajit Pal Singh and Viren Rasquinha, who criticised the move away from a colour long associated with Indian hockey. Their objections, combined with pressure from within Hockey India, appear to have shaped the decision to restore blue ahead of the Asian Games.
The kit controversy comes as both teams prepare for a significant tournament in Japan. The men’s team, who finished eighth at the World Cup, will defend their Asian Games title, with a gold medal also securing qualification for the 2028 Olympics. The women’s team will aim to improve on the bronze medal they won at the previous Asian Games.
Tirkey said, “We are back to wearing blue again. Both our teams will wear blue at the Asian Games, that’s been decided.”
