New Delhi, Sep 04, 2023, IANS

New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday announced signing up of Samsonite, the travel luggage company, as partner for the Hangzhou-bound Asian Games contingent.

The members of the Indian contingent will travel to the continental mega event, scheduled to take place from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China, will travel with premium suitcases.

IOA president PT Usha has said the collaboration marks the partnership of leaders committed to excellence, "The provision of a premium suitcase, designed for the official kit for the Asian Games 2022, to each member of the Indian team is a symbol of the support and belief that the entire nation, and brands of global repute like Samsonite, bestow upon our champions," she said.

India's seasoned Table Tennis star A Sharath Kamal, who won two bronze medals in the last Asian Games in Jakarta, welcomed the partnership and said: "I cannot stress enough the importance of the whole team travelling with such premium suitcases with our playing kits and ceremonial dresses in them. The feeling of pride and confidence among our athletes can only grow with such action."

Samsonite India CEO Jai Krishnan said it was "an honour" to be part of the Indian athlete's journey.

"Samsonite has always been about journeys. And there's none more heart-stirring than that the one our athletes are embarking on. We are honoured to be a small but significant part of their journey," he said.

Earlier, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has sanctioned 634 athletes across 38 sporting disciplines for participation in the upcoming Asian Games, who met the set selection criteria, against the 850 athletes recommended by IOA.

A total of 572 athletes participated in the last edition of Asian Games in 2018 where India returned with 70 medals including 16 Golds.