Page 12 - Latest Updates on Asian Games 2026

Indian swimmer gets 18-month doping suspension, ruled out of Asian Games

An Indian swimmer, who had qualified for the Asian Games, was on Wednesday suspended for 18 months after failing a dope test and will miss the continental event in Aichi-Nagoya this month. The 17-year-old had qualified for two events at the Asian Games and was part of the short list for the continental event. However, he has been suspended for 18 months after his sample showed the presence of terbutaline, a beta-2 agonist banned under anti-doping rules. The teenager received an adverse analytical finding (AAF) in February following which his name was dropped from the list of participants for the Asian Games. His hearing was held last week and he was handed an 18-month suspension on Wednesday morning. "The swimmer had received the violation earlier this year. However, the hearing did not take place till last week and he was handed an 18-month suspension today morning," a source in the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) told PTI. The SFI had requested that the hearing be expedited

Indian women's rugby sevens team begins Asian Games prep at national camp

The Indian senior women's rugby sevens team has begun its preparation for the upcoming Asian Games here with coach Terence Joseph saying the focus of the national camp will be on execution and consistency. The camp is being held at the Sports Authority of India's Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre in Kolkata, which has been the home base for the Indian rugby team ahead of major international competitions. The Indian eves will compete in the women's rugby sevens tournament at the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya from October 1 to 3. India has been drawn in Pool B alongside defending champions China, Hong Kong China and Malaysia. "The Asian Games is a big tournament for us. We are looking at details and consistency from the team. A lot depends on how we execute our plans in Japan," Joseph said during a press conference in SAI Kolkata. "SAI Kolkata has been the home for the Indian rugby team. We have been conducting camps here for the past three years." Captain Shikha Yadav echoed her

Can't take Neeraj's place but will try for Asian Games medal: Rohit Yadav

Rising Indian javelin thrower Rohit Yadav aspires to follow in the lofty footsteps of iconic Neeraj Chopra, who has pulled out of the upcoming Asian Games due to an injury, in the continental event beginning on September 19. Rohit, 25, from Dabhiya village in Uttar Pradesh, had a dismal Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year with a throw of just 81.56m but he recorded his personal best on August 22 with a throw of 87.68m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubaneswar. And he is confident of bettering that feat in Aichi-Nagoya during the Asian Games. "I am not taking any pressure although I know people are expecting a lot from me. It is not good that Neeraj is not there but we have to accept that. Neeraj's medal was 100 per cent sure but I will try fill up his place. I know I won't be able to take his place but will try and get a podium place. I will try to give my best throw to be among medal winners," Rohit told PTI in an interview "Neeraj's place is differen

Deepak tests positive for clomifene; WFI withdraws him from Asian Games

Adding to the embarrassment for Indian wrestling, Asian Games-bound Greco Roman wrestler Deepak has failed a dope test, forcing the national federation to withdraw him from the contingent, further shrinking the Indian challenge at continental showpiece. The development comes after India have already lost two wrestling places in the Asian Games squad following doping cases involving Mukul Dahiya (men's freestyle 86kg) and Deepanshu (Greco Roman, 130kg). Deepak was the first wrestler from the Indian postal service to secure a place in the Indian team for the Asian Games. The 25-year-old Delhi wrestler was a surprise winner at the selection trials held in Lucknow on May 31 after coming through a medal-winning show at the Federation Cup. According to a notification issued by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), Deepak's urine sample, collected during the selection trials, returned an atypical finding for clomifene, a prohibited substance classified under S4 (Hormone and Metabolic ..

Asian Games: Shiv Kapur backs Indian golfers to end 24-year gold drought

Former Asian Games gold medallist Shiv Kapur believes India's golfers have the talent to end the country's long wait for another gold at the continental showpiece, saying anything less than the top prize would be a disappointment at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Games. India will be represented by a six-member golf squad at the Asian Games, with Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Urs making up the women's team and Yuvraj Sandhu, Veer Ahlawat and Saptak Talwar featuring in the men's competition. The team was selected on the basis of world rankings. Kapur, who won the individual gold at the 2002 Asian Games, said the achievement remains the biggest of his career and hoped the current generation can break India's gold-medal drought in golf. "2002 is still fresh in my mind. It has been almost 25 years, but if anyone asks me what my number one achievement in golf, or the number one achievement in my career, is, it is still winning the gold medal," Kapur said on the sidelines of the jersey

Sable, Kujur, Jyothi in Indian Athletics Series finale ahead of Asian Games

Almost all the Asian Games-bound track and field athletes, including fit-again star steeplechaser Avinash Sable, will be in action in the Indian Athletics Series Final here on Thursday as part of their tune-up to the mega event in Japan later this month. The invitational one-day event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is the culmination of the 15-leg Indian Athletics Series, which was introduced by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) this April. The national federation has made the finale lucrative by introducing a total prize fund of Rs 65 lakh. The winner in each of the 30 events will pocket Rs one lakh. The second place finishers will receive Rs 50,000 each while the athletes who ended at third, fourth, fifth and sixth will get Rs 25,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. Except for a few athletes such as long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, high jumper Sarvesh Kushare and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, all the athletes from the 77-member Indian team for the Asian Gam

Asian Games 2026 medals: All you need to know about the design and material

The medal's design extends beyond the disc itself. The ribbon incorporates the silhouette of the kakitsubata, or Japanese iris, which is the official flower of Aichi Prefecture

"One target at a time": Mairaj ready for another shot at Asian Games glory

Born on November 2, 1975, in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh, Mairaj Ahmad Khan is an Indian skeet shooter and two-time Olympian

Indian hockey teams revert to blue kits for Asiad after saffron backlash

The Indian hockey teams will revert to their traditional blue jerseys for the upcoming Asian Games following widespread backlash over a controversial shift to a saffron coloured kit. Hockey India (HI) faced intense criticism earlier after switching its long-standing colour to saffron, which the teams sported during the FIH World Cups in the Netherlands and Belgium. The decision triggered internal discord when HI president Dilip Tirkey publicly questioned the move, stating it was implemented without the knowledge or approval of the federation's elected leadership and Executive Board. "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," Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said on the sidelines of the Asian Games contingent send-off here on Tuesday. Another top Hockey India official added, "The kits for Asian Games, Olympics and CWG are designed

Two stage trials open World Championships route for Asian Games wrestlers

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to hold two-stage trials for the 2026 Senior World Championships, giving wrestlers selected for the Asian Games a chance to also compete for a place in the World Championships team. According to a WFI circular, wrestlers selected to represent India at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan will not be barred from participating in the Senior World Championships selection trials. Instead, they will have the opportunity to challenge for a World Championships berth through a "final trial". The move is particularly significant because the Asian Games are scheduled for later in September, while the Senior World Championships will be held soon afterwards in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1. First phase on September 14 and 15 ======================== WFI's first round of Senior World Championships trials will be held in the six Olympic weight categories on September 14 at IG Stadium in New Delhi while trials for the men's ..

India's Asiad 2026 campaign gets underway with grand send-off ceremony

The send-off ceremony featured messages from Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and IOA president PT Usha, who urged athletes to embrace the challenge and focus on delivering their best

Gavit sets sights on Asian Para Games double after Commonwealth triumph

Buoyed by his breakthrough gold at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, India's top para sprinter Dilip Gavit is aiming for a grand double at next month's Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Nashik-based right-arm amputee made history on his Commonwealth Games debut, blazing to gold in the men's 100m T47 final in a Games-record 10.71 seconds. His victory made him the first Indian male para-athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal. But Gavit is not resting on that landmark achievement. The 23-year-old, who also won 400m gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, has set his sights on two gold medals in Aichi-Nagoya in October. He believes his strength in the 400m -- his primary event -- will give him the edge in the 100m as well, particularly when it comes to maintaining speed through the race. "I will keep focusing on the 400m because it prepares you for how you run the first 100m. I also focus more on the 400m because this is my primary race and I have been

There's no added pressure: Satwik-Chirag ready to defend Asian Games gold

Satwik felt the China Masters win came at the perfect time after a difficult period away from competitive badminton

India vs Japan match key step in cricket's global push: BCCI's Saikia

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday said the historic one-off T20 International between India and Japan this month will be a significant moment in cricket's journey to become a global sport by connecting to a new audience. India and Japan are set to lock horns for the first time in a historic T20I in Japan on September 22, ahead of the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. The Games will start on September 19. The match will be played at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture. Played under the banner of the Suzuki Cup, it will commemorate the 75th anniversary of IndiaJapan diplomatic relations. Saikia said the match is an effort of ICC chairman Jay Shah to take cricket to newer territories. "Cricket's global journey is being shaped by moments that take the game beyond its traditional boundaries. The IndiaJapan T20I match on 22nd September,'26 is one such moment taking international cricket to Japan, connecting with a new audience and

Shooting at Asian Games: Suruchi Singh's rise from Bhiwani to world record

At just 20, Suruchi has put together an impressive resume, with a junior world record, an ISSF World Cup Final title and multiple World Cup gold medals to her name

Asiad-bound shooters gear up with final preparatory camps in Delhi, Bhopal

The Asian Games-bound Indian shooters will undergo preparatory camps at facilities in Delhi and Bhopal this month as they look to fine-tune their skills for peak performance at the quadrennial showpiece beginning September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The camps have been divided between the MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal and the Karni Singh Range in the national capital. As per the schedule, the selected Asian Games pistol and rifle shooters will train in Bhopal from September 5 to 14. The skeet camp commenced at the Karni Singh Range on Friday, while the camp for trap shooters will be held from September 10 to 18 at the same venue. National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) High Performance Director Pierre Beauchamp said the focus of the camps would be on mental conditioning and technical refinement. "At this stage, our focus shifts from volume to precision, mental conditioning, and technical refinement. "The structure of these final camps allows our sports science and coachi

Asian Games: SAI's 'container simulator' readies athletes for unusual stay

The beds are a little over six feet long, the walls are close, and there is little room for anything beyond the essentials. For some of India's athletes, however, spending a night inside a shipping container at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) here is less about discomfort and more about preparation for an unusual living arrangement awaiting them in Japan at the Asian Games. With the Aichi-Nagoya Games beginning September 19 and no conventional athletes' village this time, Sports Authority of India (SAI) has set up makeshift container rooms at its centres in Patiala and Bengaluru to give its athletes a taste of what they can expect in Japan. The idea is to make the unfamiliar familiar. Athletes are taking turns to spend a night inside the container, waking up the next morning and following their usual routine before heading to training. By the time they reach Japan, the hope is that their accommodation will no longer be a distraction. "Two years ago, when it

Asiad 2026: Can India better its Hangzhou medal tally in Aichi-Nagoya?

India's 2026 Asian Games campaign will be tested by the absence of key Hangzhou medallists, but rising stars and recent form offer a chance to surpass the all-time medal haul

Cricket at Asian Games 2026: Check India's full contingent for Aichi-Nagoya

India will field full-strength men's and women's squads as they look to defend their cricket gold medals from the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games

Asian Games 2026: Why cricket's accommodation plan is under scrutiny

The Japan Cricket Association has defended the preparations, saying the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee and Asian Cricket Council have worked together on the arrangements