Karnataka, however, has a long-standing sporting culture that dates back to the wider shift in this mindset. For generations, communities across the state have embraced sport as part of their identity, producing athletes who have excelled at national and international levels. Many of these achievements came without sustained government support or a structured professional system. Yet, athletes from Karnataka continued to make their mark, setting a strong sporting tradition to pursue excellence.

Karnataka's tradition of adding flavour to a multi-sporting extravaganza will continue this time, too, as 23 sportspersons from the southern state are part of the 500-plus Indian contingent flying to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, for the 20th Asian Games set to begin on September 19 -- although this is a significant dip from the roughly 37 athletes who participated in the Hangzhou, China, edition four years ago.

Track and field includes six athletes -- Sindhushree G, Supriya B, Unnathi Aiyappa, Sneha SS, Poovamma MR and Yashas Palaksha -- the all-male Indian swimming squad features five competitors from Karnataka led by two-time Olympian Srihari Nataraj along with Akash Mani, Utkarsh Santosh Patil, Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aneesh Sunil Kumar Gowda.

Following her national record-breaking effort of 4.25 mts, also the fifth-best performance in Asia this year, Sindhushree is viewed as a medal prospect in women's pole vault. Despite a disappointing Commonwealth Games outing, 400m hurdler Yashas' personal best of 49.00 seconds in May will still make him one of the most closely-watched Indian athletes. As a part of the strong Indian relay teams to be fielded at the newly-built Paloma Mizuho Stadium, Unnathi, Sneha and veteran Poovamma MR will garner attention as medal hopes.

The swimmers, on the other hand, are on the other side of the spectrum. Dodging high Chinese, Japanese and Korean tides in the pool will be challenging. The outside hope, once again, rests on 25-year-old Srihari who will be competing in his third Asiad. The performances by the rest, from the swimming powerhouse in the country, remain to be seen.

Speaking about the racquet sports representatives, ace shuttler and world No. 20 Ayush Shetty of Mangaluru and the current women's singles national table tennis champion Yashaswini Ghorpade of Bengaluru are expected to more than make their presence felt on their respective arenas. In a draw featuring the best in the business chasing the elusive medals, Ayush, in fact, is slated to be the dark horse after a stunning silver at this season's Badminton Asia Championship. Some big wins against top players at various BWF tournaments this season make the 6-foot-4-inch Ayush a reliable bet for a podium finish.

That brings us to the silent cookie, Bengaluru golfer Aditi Ashok - who makes a larger audience sit up and take notice only once every two years during a multi-sport event (Olympics & Asiad). A silver medallist at the previous edition, the 28-year-old pro, along with fellow state-mate Pranavi Urs, is capable of cooking up something special on the greens.

Adding significance to the Karnataka presence in Indian colours will be Mohith H S, one of the two goalkeepers of the Indian men's hockey team; shooters Tilottama Sen and Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve (who represents Indian Army) and Olympian equestrian Fouaad Mirza, who won two silvers in the 2018 Asiad, riding Camouflage 38. Bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil, who was injured during the women's T20 World Cup in England this June, will be the only cricketer from the state, man or woman, provided she clears the fitness test.

Completing the list of 23 from the state are cyclist Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka, climber Deepu Mallesh and the experienced middle-blocker of the Indian men's volleyball team Ashwal Rai - who will feature in his second Asiad after having played a key role in India's famous win against South Korea last time.

Unlike Aditi, Fouaad, Ashwal and Srihari, a majority of Karnataka athletes will be making their maiden continental Games appearance. The excitement and hope to make a mark are evident.

"Making it to my first Asian Games is a dream-come-true and a very special moment for me," sprinter Sneha, who will compete in the women's 100m and mixed 4x100m relay races, tells DHoS.

"I want to execute my race well and give everything I have on the track. I also hope that my performance can inspire more young athletes from Karnataka, especially young girls, to believe that they can dream big and compete at the highest level. Karnataka has many talented athletes, and I hope that success on an international stage can bring more attention, encouragement, and support to athletics in the state," shares the 27-year-old Chikmagalur girl.

For 21-year-old Unnathi the spark ignited while cheering for her mother - the two-time Olympian and 2010 Asian Games heptathlon bronze medalist Pramila Aiyappa - has finally become her own purpose.

"After a month of injury lay-off in April, I feel stronger and ready to go. My mom did it, now I have my opportunity. It was our (family's) dream to make this happen. I can't wait," gushes Unnathi.

Evidently, Karnataka athletes are mostly fueled by parental sacrifices or supported by private coaches and academies. In rare cases such as hockey player Mohith's, grassroot coaches at the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) shape careers.

Apart from the Rs 35 lakh, Rs 25 lakh and Rs 15 lakh awaiting those who win gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the Asiad, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara announced a special financial incentive of Rs 5 lakh for all state athletes representing India at the Commonwealth Games and Asiad.

The welcome incentive and growing traction, though slow-paced, should hopefully add more athletes from Karnataka to the Indian squads in the future. Until then and before the Asiad begins in Aichi-Nagoya in a few days, it is worth mentioning an anecdote from former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was being his jovial best while addressing young athletes during a Karnataka Olympic Association (KOA) awards ceremony in 2024.

"See, we have kept aside Rs 6 crore (gold), Rs 4 cr (silver) and Rs 2 cr (bronze) for Olympic medallists from Karnataka. The cash rewards are waiting to be given to you... Aadre, neeve yaaru geltha illa (but, you guys are only not winning)."

The remark could be treated lightly, but the fact remains that the number of Karnataka representatives in the Indian contingent for the Asian Games has reduced. Sure, there are various reasons for it. But for the next three weeks, it's time for these 23 athletes to let their performances do the talking.