Asian Games 2026: Hockey India opts for blue as primary kit, keeps saffron as second choice

Hockey India has clarified that it has selected blue as its primary colour preference and saffron as its secondary choice for the 2026 Asian Games, putting to rest speculation that the federation has permanently abandoned the saffron jersey.

The decision means India’s hockey teams are expected to have blue as the main colour for the Asian Games, with saffron also retained as an option. However, Hockey India has not announced any permanent change to the national teams’ jersey colours.

The federation has also stressed that colour choices for tournaments after the Asian Games will be considered separately. The final official kits for the 2026 Asian Games have not yet been unveiled.

What has Hockey India said?

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asked Hockey India to submit its preferred colour combination for the Asian Games kits.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey confirmed that the federation listed blue as its first preference and saffron as its second.

“IOA asked us about our preference of colour for kit, we gave blue as primary and saffron as the second one. As I had already said before the World Cup that the colour change is not permanent,” Tirkey said on the sidelines of the Asian Games contingent send-off on Tuesday.

Hockey India treasurer Sekar J. Manoharan also confirmed the same position.

“We were asked to give our preference for kits and we gave blue and saffron. Blue being the primary one and saffron as secondary,” Manoharan said.

Asked whether the choice represented a permanent change, Manoharan made it clear that the decision applies specifically to the Asian Games.

“This is for Asian Games. Where it will be blue as primary and saffron secondary.”

On future tournaments, he added: “For future tournaments, we will discuss and see how it is. For Asian Games, it will be blue and saffron.”

Hockey India also told India Today that there has been no official decision to permanently discontinue the saffron jersey, and any such claim remains speculation.

Why has the saffron jersey become an issue?

The confusion stems from the difference between a tournament-specific kit preference and a permanent change in jersey colours.

For the Asian Games, Hockey India has clearly chosen blue as its primary preference, while retaining saffron as the secondary option. This does not mean saffron has been removed from the national teams’ kit plans altogether.

Hockey India has also not indicated that saffron will be dropped after the Asian Games. Officials have said that colours for future tournaments will be discussed separately.

The issue has attracted attention because Hockey India’s decision to make saffron the primary jersey colour at the FIH Hockey World Cups had faced criticism.

India’s hockey teams have traditionally been associated with blue. The shift to saffron also led to differences within Hockey India’s leadership, with Tirkey questioning the decision-making process and stating that it had not received approval from the federation’s elected leadership and Executive Board.

Tirkey had previously maintained that the change was not permanent.

Final Asian Games kits yet to be unveiled

Another key point is that the official Asian Games kits have not been released yet.

Hockey India has only communicated its preferred colours to the IOA. The final design, colour arrangement and appearance of the jerseys will be known only when the official kits are unveiled.

For now, Hockey India’s position is clear: blue is the primary preference and saffron the secondary choice for the 2026 Asian Games.

That does not amount to a complete rejection of saffron, nor does it confirm a permanent return to blue. The final Asian Games kits and the colour choices for future tournaments will determine what India wears next.