Asian Games From Today: India Sends 501 Athletes to Japan

By Thetripurapost Desk, Tokyo
Sep 19, 2026
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The 20th Asian Games begin in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with athletes from 45 countries set to compete across 43 sports. The continental sporting event features 469 medal events, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

India enters the Games with a 501-member athlete contingent, combining experienced international competitors with a large group of Asian Games debutants.

Asian Games 2026: A Look at India's 501-Member Contingent

India's contingent consists of 267 men and 234 women competing in 36 sports.

As many as 314 Indian athletes are making their Asian Games debut, meaning around 63% of the contingent will be competing at the continental event for the first time.

Cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 15, is the youngest athlete in India's contingent. Equestrian competitor Shruti Vora, 55, is the oldest.

Athletics has India's largest representation with 79 athletes, followed by hockey with 40. Cricket and shooting have 30 athletes each, while kabaddi has 24 and rowing 22.

India will compete in 256 events across 36 sports. Its participation includes 43 athletics events, 27 shooting events, 14 kayaking and canoeing events, 11 track-cycling events and seven badminton events.

Both the Indian men's and women's cricket teams will compete in the T20 format.

Six New Medal Sports Added to Asian Games Programme

Six disciplines are making their debut as medal sports at the Asian Games:

Mixed Martial Arts
Padel
Surfing
Teqball
Virtual Taekwondo
BMX Freestyle

Mixed martial arts incorporates techniques from boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. Teqball combines football skills with a table-tennis-style playing surface, while padel is a racket sport with similarities to tennis.

Virtual Taekwondo will use motion-tracking and virtual-reality technology. BMX Freestyle competitors will be evaluated on aerial movements, jumps and technical tricks.

Meanwhile, dragon boat, roller sports and mind sports have been removed from this year's programme.

Asian Games 2026 Can Help Olympic Qualification for Los Angeles 2028

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will also have significance for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with qualification pathways available in archery, hockey, squash and tennis.

The men's and women's singles champions in squash will receive Olympic quota places. Hockey champions can also earn Olympic qualification opportunities, subject to the qualification regulations applicable to their respective events.

₹703 Crore Spent on India's Asian Games Preparation

India has spent approximately ₹703 crore on preparations for the Asian Games between November 2023 and August 2026.

Of this amount, around:

₹252 crore was spent on international competitions
₹118 crore on domestic training and national coaching camps
₹89 crore on sports equipment
₹86 crore on foreign coaches and support staff
₹40 crore on overseas training

India has also brought in 50 foreign experts and coaches across 30 sports. The group includes 14 experts associated with athletics, eight with hockey and five with shooting.

Indian Athletes to Watch at Asian Games 2026

Anahat Singh

Young squash star Anahat Singh has won the World Junior Squash Championship and became the youngest Asian woman to enter the world's top 20 squash rankings.

Esha Singh

Shooter Esha Singh set a world record in the 25m pistol event at the Munich World Cup, adding another major achievement to her international career.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam

Compound archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam won three gold medals at the 2023 Asian Games. She will again be one of India's prominent competitors in compound archery.

Gulvir Singh

Distance runner Gulvir Singh holds Indian records in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events. He won gold in both disciplines at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.

Avinash Sable

Avinash Sable won the men's 3000m steeplechase at the 2023 Asian Games and will return to defend India's strong presence in the event.

Parul Chaudhary

At the 2023 Asian Games, Parul Chaudhary won gold in the 5,000m and silver in the steeplechase.

Ansi Sojan

Long jumper Ansi Sojan broke Anju Bobby George's 22-year-old Indian record in 2026 with a jump of 6.88 metres.

Mirabai Chanu

Weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu created history at the 2026 Commonwealth Games by becoming the first Indian woman weightlifter to win three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals.

Aman Sehrawat

Wrestler Aman Sehrawat, a bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics, will look to add another significant medal to his international record at the Asian Games.

India's Asian Games Medal History

India has won 778 Asian Games medals between the inaugural 1951 edition and the 2022 Games.

The tally includes:

183 gold medals
238 silver medals
357 bronze medals

India stands fifth in the all-time Asian Games medal table.

The 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games produced a historic performance for India. The country crossed the 100-medal mark for the first time, finishing with 106 medals — 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze.

The 106-medal haul remains India's highest-ever medal tally at a single Asian Games.

Athletics Leads India's Asian Games Medal Count

India has secured medals in 34 different sports at the Asian Games.

Athletics has produced the highest number of medals for India, with 283, followed by:

Shooting — 80 medals
Wrestling — 65 medals
Boxing — 61 medals

Legendary athlete P.T. Usha remains India's leading individual Asian Games medallist with 11 medals, including four gold and seven silver.

No Traditional Athletes' Village at Aichi-Nagoya

The organisers have adopted a different accommodation model for this edition of the Games instead of using a conventional athletes' village.

Competitors will stay in hotels, temporary container accommodation and the Costa Serena cruise ship.

The competitions will be conducted at 54 venues across Japan.

The official theme of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is “Imagination of an Asia.”

How to Watch Asian Games 2026 in India

Indian audiences can watch the Asian Games live on the Sony Sports Network, while digital streaming will be available through Sony LIV.