In a "major embarrassment for India," the Olympic Council of Asia fined the Indian Olympic Association $10,000 for withdrawing two teams at the eleventh hour, after having confirmed their entry in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon. The fine "is a fall-out of the tug-of-war between the IOA and the Centre over the size of the Indian contingent." The OCA took a serious view of India pulling out the rugby 7s and beach volleyball teams at the last minute, "forcing the organisers to alter the draw and scheduling" (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 9/21). ... Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said that Oceania "could join the Asian Olympic family in the not-too-distant future." Oceania's 18 federations "will feature in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games for the first time in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat." Al-Sabah said that if that proves to be a success, "the next could be for Oceania to participate in the Asian Winter Games and possibly even host a future Asian Beach Games" (KYODO, 9/21). ... North Korean athletes "will wear domestically designed and manufactured jerseys, shoes and socks at the Incheon Asian Games, in an attempt to showcase a quality of the isolated country's garment industry." The North's "independently designed and indigenously made" sportswear features three colors -- red, gray and blue -- and the emblem of the country's national bird, the goshawk (KOREA TIMES, 9/18). ... The Asian Games cauldron, a symbol of the athletic event that is supposed to be kept lit during the 16-day run in Incheon, "temporarily went dark due to technical problems." The torch lost its flame at around 11:40pm. on Saturday "after experiencing malfunctions in the cauldron that held the fire but was re-lit 10 minutes later" (KOREA HERALD, 9/21).