Page 11 - Latest Updates on Asian Games 2026

Asiad 2026: Captain Pushpa Rana backs India to defend women's kabaddi gold

India's women's team will begin its campaign against Bangladesh on September 21 before taking on Iran and Japan in Group A

Asian Games 2026: India full schedule, contingent, medal prospects and more

India's competitive action at the Asian Games will begin on September 17 with teqball, while the women's cricket team begins its campaign on September 18 against Japan

Asiad 2026: How India fared in previous editions of the Asian Games

With a medal haul of 107, the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou witnessed India's best-ever outing in the history of the continental tournament

Indian contingent for Asiad: Full list of 503 Aichi-Nagoya-bound athletes

Athletics once again has the highest representation among Indian athletes chosen for the continental event, with 74 participants named for the Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya

Tendenthoi heads to Asian Games for second time with renewed confidence

Tendenthoi Devi Haobijam heads into her second Asian Games with a confidence that was missing when she made her debut at the Hangzhou edition three years ago, and the young Manipuri rower believes she can make a bigger impact this time. The 23-year-old will spearhead India's challenge in the women's coxless four, rowing at No. 3 alongside Poonam (No. 4), Aleena Anto (No. 2) and Gurbani Kaur (No. 1). The quartet has trained and competed together since last year, giving them time to understand each other's strengths and develop as a unit. "My first international competition was the Asian Games in 2023. My performance was good, but I wasn't very confident because I was still a junior at that time. I had to learn a lot from the seniors and take their advice," Tendenthoi stated in a release. This time, the preparation has been more consistent, with the crew also going through acclimatisation together and working on the mental side of competition, including meditation and sessions with a

Asian Games-bound Pathirage's javelin damaged during flight to Japan

Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Pathirage has suffered a setback ahead of the upcoming Asian Games after five of his "winning" javelins were damaged in air travel. The 23-year-old was returning to Sri Lanka from Budapest after competing at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship on September 13 on a Turkish airline flight. "All five of my winning javelins were damaged inside the aircraft. I was trying to use them at the upcoming Asian Games, the 2028 Olympics and the World Championship," Pathirage said. He said he had lodged a complaint with Turkish Airlines. The Sri Lankan, who is enjoying a breakout season, has breached the 90m mark three times this year. All three of those throws came with the javelins that were damaged. In July, Pathirage beat two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra to win Sri Lanka's first athletics gold since 1950 at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Sri Lankan has won 11 of his last 12 international competitions, including the Diamond League Fina

Raja Randhir Singh, Jaspal Rana honoured as IOA names Asiad memorial awards

Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha on Tuesday announced two memorial awards named after veteran sports administrator late Raja Randhir Singh and multiple Asian and Commonwealth Games medallist and renowned pistol coach Jaspal Rana. While Singh, who served as the secretary general of the IOA for 25 years from 1987 to 2012, and also as the president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), passed away at the age of 79 in May this year, Rana, who was the coach of double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, died at the age of 49 in June. Usha made the announcement here during the launch of a book on Rana titled "Maverick Jaspal", co-authored by senior sports journalists S Kannan and G Rajaraman. "From this year, the IOA has decided to introduce two memorial trophies in the names of legendary Raja Randhir Singh and shooting great Jaspal Rana for the best athletes in the Asian Games," she said. "The Raja Randhir Singh Trophy will be awarded to the best male athlete of the Asian Games, .

India Women land in Japan with Muzumdar eyeing golden double at Asiad

The Indian women's cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar said his players are eagerly looking forward to the unique atmosphere of the Asian Games after the defending champions landed in Japan determined to extend their recent run of success. Fresh from their T20 Asia Cup triumph, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will now turn their attention to the Asian Games, where India will look to retain the gold medal they won in the Hangzhou edition in 2023. "The team is looking forward to the Asian Games and enjoying the environment of the multi-sport event," Muzumdar said after arriving here with members of his support staff on an early morning flight. A few members of the squad travelled with the coaching staff, while the rest were scheduled to arrive later in the day, with pacer Kranti Gaur and spinner Shree Charani among those to land with the coaching staff. Muzumdar said the experience of living alongside athletes from different sports, sharing the Games Village and competing on a multi-sport

Asian Games 2026: India train for kabaddi gold as Sehrawat backs team unity

Pawan Sehrawat says India's 12-member kabaddi squad has built trust through training camps as Sunil Kumar's side prepares to open its Asian Games campaign against Japan on September 21

Asian Games 2026: How govt spent Rs 800.7 crore on athletes' preparations

The Sports Ministry reported Rs 702.86 crore in training calendar spending and Rs 97.84 crore from TOPS as India prepares to send 501 athletes, including 310 debutants, to Japan

Asian Games 2026: OCA sets safeguarding rules; violators face suspension

Inappropriate relationships where "power imbalance or dependency" exists, use of degrading language or being a bystander to instances of harassment have been strictly prohibited in the Olympic Council of Asia's Safeguarding Code of Conduct for athletes and officials at the Asian Games with violations punishable by suspension from the mega-event. The code of conduct has been circulated to all athletes and officials bound for the Games beginning September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan and participants are required to sign and adhere to it. Softball Association of India President Neetal Narang would be India's Safeguarding Officer during the Games, which is a mandatory requirement in the contingent staff as per the OCA. The use of social media has also been addressed in the code of conduct with the OCA making it clear that content should be "respectful, and appropriate" and must not "compromise the dignity or safety of others." "Breaches of this Code may result in removal of accreditation

Asian Games 2026: Wrestler Nisha puts setbacks behind, eyes glory

For years, Nisha Dahia would have this lingering thought after every injury: Why me? Why did the body give up just when everything seemed to be falling into place? Why did another promising campaign end in disappointment? She no longer asks those questions? Nisha has learnt to take setbacks in her stride, stopped cribbing about the injuries that have repeatedly interrupted her career, and, most importantly, accepted that an athlete can control the work but not always the outcome. That change in mindset could prove as important as any technical improvement when Nisha steps on the mat at the Asian Games in the women's 68kg category, carrying the hopes of finally converting her considerable potential into a major medal. "I used to feel that God was being unfair on me. I used to think, why is this happening to me again and again? But now I don't think like that," Nisha told PTI in an interview. "I will get what is written in my fate. I will do my job, work hard and wrestle well. I wi

Asian Games 2026: From cricket bat to shotgun, Mairaj's sporting journey

There was a time when Mairaj Ahmad Khan dreamed of making it big with a cricket bat. More than three decades later, the 50-year-old is still chasing sporting glory -- only now with a shotgun firmly in his grip. From Khurja in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district to shooting ranges around the world, Mairaj's journey has taken him places he could never have imagined when he first stepped into the world of sport. At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he will be the second-oldest member of the Indian contingent, behind equestrian Shruti Vora, and will compete at his fourth continental games. Yet, shooting was never supposed to be his destiny. "I was playing cricket when it all started in 1994," Mairaj recalls. A left-handed top-order batter who usually came in at No. 3, he represented Uttar Pradesh in the CK Nayudu and Vinoo Mankad Trophy competitions before joining Jamia Millia Islamia in 1996. He played inter-university cricket and also featured in the Vizzy Trophy. Among his university

Asian Games snub leaves Agarwalla 'deeply hurt' over missed opportunity

Indian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla has expressed his disappointment over missing out on the Asian Games, saying he feels "deeply hurt" at not getting an opportunity to compete in the continental showpiece. In an emotional post on Instagram, Agarwalla said the dream of competing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was officially over and expressed his frustration with the process that led to his exclusion. "The dream of Asian Games 2026 is officially over," he wrote in a post. "Words cannot explain the pain and emptiness I feel right now. I have always represented India with immense pride, and always will. But this time, I am deeply hurt - not because I lost, but because I was never given the chance to compete." Agarwalla, who was part of India's gold-winning dressage team at the Hangzhou Asian Games and won an individual bronze, was initially named as a reserve for the 2026 Games. His exclusion had earlier led to a selection dispute, with Agarwalla challenging the process and ...

IOC, OCA chiefs to tour Asian Games athletes' village ahead of Games

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani will visit the athletes' village of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 20, a day after the opening ceremony. Coventry and Sheikh Joaan will tour the Garden Pier section of the village and interact with athletes from various National Olympic Committees (NOCs), it was announced at the Chefs de Mission meeting here on Monday. The two presidents will visit Garden Pier at 11am on September 20, following the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on September 19. The Aichi-Nagoya Games do not have a traditional athletes' village, with athletes and officials from 45 NOCs being accommodated across a cruise liner, temporary Asian Games villas at Garden Pier and hotels in Nagoya city and Aichi prefecture. The cruise liner will dock at Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya on Tuesday, with a welcome ceremony scheduled for 1pm. Athletes will begin boarding

Asian Games preparations hit visa hurdle as 4-5 athletes await Japan entry

A few members of the 74-strong Indian athletics team are yet to get their visa clearance though most of them have reached Japan for a short acclimatisation camp near Tokyo ahead of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. It is learnt that around 4-5 athletes are yet to get their visas, though the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) officials are hopeful that the matter will be sorted soon. AFI is likely to approach the government to help the athletes get their visas. Athletics events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games begin on September 23. An official source said that VFS, a leading visa and passport administration outsourcing company, has insisted that applications should be done at the places where the passports are issued. "We are hoping that it will be sorted soon," the source said. Under the circumstances, there is a possibility that the athletes, whose visas have been delayed, may have to spend less time at the acclimatisation camp or join the other team members in Nagoya ...

"I can deliver under pressure": Kamaljeet ready for maiden Asiad challenge

An injury ended Kamaljeet's athletics journey, but his passion for sport led him to shooting in 2019, setting him on a path to becoming a leading 50m pistol shooter

Bumrah declared fit for Afghanistan T20Is; Yash Thakur replaces Harshit

Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have received fitness clearance, while a fresh injury has ruled Harshit Rana out of the Afghanistan series and Asian Games

Asian Games: Asmita sharpens ground game to counter formidable Japan

Inspired by the Japanese but equally wary of the challenge they will pose, India's Commonwealth Games gold-winning judoka Asmita Dey says she is trying to sharpen her holds, pins and submission techniques to present a strong challenge at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Dey said she has spent considerable time trying to ace the three aspects of ground fighting as the Asian Games will be a significantly tougher test than the CWG in Glasgow, where she became the first Indian judoka to win a gold. "The Asian Games, as compared to the Commonwealth Games, will be very tough for me because at the Asian Games we have some of the world's best from rankings 7-14 competing there," the 23-year-old Dey told PTI Videos as she looked forward to her maiden appearance at the Asian Games beginning September 19. "Our master in Judo is Japan, so Japanese judokas are also there, so it is tough for me. I need to work on my Ne-Waza because if I am in the final, my opponent will most likely be Japanese.

From 'no career in gaming' to Asian Games: Indian esports stars eye medals

Once dismissed by many families as nothing more than a leisure activity with no viable career prospects, gaming is now taking Indian youngsters to the Asian Games, with the country's esports contingent aiming for a strong showing in Nagoya thanks to rigorous training and professional support. Indian players are putting in long hours, facing international opponents in practice matches and working with experienced coaches, seeking to establish themselves on the continental stage. The esports competition in this year's Asian Games will have 11 medal events, four more than the last edition. For Pokemon Unite player Adnan Badshah, changing the perception of esports within families remains one of the biggest challenges. "One of the major challenges is that family is not easily convinced that there can be a future in mobile or PC games. If you are a cricketer or an athlete of any traditional sport, family and relatives are more inclined to support you. "But to get support in this is very