Page 29 - Latest Updates on Asian Games 2026

India will do exceptionally well in Asian Games 2023: Anurag Thakur

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday exuded confidence that the ever-improving Indian athletes will do "exceptionally well" in the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 18-October 8. India will be represented by 634 athletes, the largest-ever contingent from the country, in the history of the Asian Games. "For the past few years, India has done exceptionally well in all sports. Today our sportspersons are bringing laurels to India on the world stage. I have full faith that India will do exceptionally well in the medal tally in the upcoming Asian Games also," Thakur said at the National Institute of Sports here. Thakur met the Asian Games-bound athletes and coaches and discussed with them on their preparations for the mega event. During the tour Thakur also inaugurated several sports development projects at the NIS, Patiala built at a cost of Rs 13 crore.

Neeraj Chopra's record: The 'Golden Boy' now has everything javelin offers

Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra has won gold in Asian Games (2018) and CWG (2018), besides four individual Diamond League Meeting titles and the Diamond League champion's trophy last year.

Asian Games: VVS Laxman to lead India men's, Kanitkar women's cricket team

Laxman did not accompany the men's team to Ireland because of prior commitments at the National Cricket Academy while Kanitkar was interim coach of the India women's team at the Women's T20 World Cup

Indian contingent for Asian Games: Full list of 634 Hangzhou-bound athletes

Athletics has the highest representation among Indian athletes chosen for the continental event, with 65 participants for the Asian Games Hangzhou 2023

Asian Games: Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh to join Indian chess men's team camp

The Asian Games-bound Indian men's chess team, which includes World Cup silver medallist GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa along with three other quarter-finalists, will undergo a four-day tactical camp here from August 30. Grandmsters Vidit Gujarathi, Arjun Erigaisi and R Gukesh, along with veteran Pentala Harikrishna as the other member are part of the Hangzhou-bound men's squad. The team is led by head coach legendary GM Boris Gelfand and includes coach Srinath Narayanan, assistant coaches Vaibhav Suri and Arjun Kalyan. The women's coaching camp is currently underway till Tuesday and has Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B as the participants. "AICF's commitment is etched in unwavering support and cutting-edge facilities for our players," AICF president Sanjay Kapoor stated in a release. "This coaching camp stands as a testament to that commitment, providing an immersive experience that delves deep into strategy and finesse, enric

Asiad 2023: Whatever command khap gives, I am ready to obey that - Bajrang

Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia on Thursday indicated he might withdraw from the Asian Games if all the panchayats that backed him during the protest at Jantar Mantar ask him to do so. Bajrang and five fellow wrestlers, including Olympic medaillst Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, sat at the Jantar Mantar here demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment, and several khap panchayats had come to support them. But, later on, they were not happy with Bajrang and Vinesh demanding exemption from the Asian Games trials in July and then accepting direct entries to the quadrennial showpiece event in Hangzhou from September 23. In the wake of the exemption given to the two from appearing in trials, the parents and coaches of the wrestlers, who had appeared in the July trials, held protests in Hisar and at the Indian Olympic Association headquarters in New Delhi against the decision of the IOA-constituted ..

WFI suspension: It will hugely impact Asian Games medal prospects - Kartar

Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt on Thursday termed the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India by the international body as "very distressing", while two-time Asian Games gold winner Kartar Singh said it will have "huge ramifications" on India's prospects in major international tournaments. UWW, the world governing body for wrestling, on Wednesday suspended the WFI for not conducting its elections on time, a development which will not allow Indian grapplers to compete at the upcoming World Championships under the Indian flag. The Indian wrestlers will have to compete as 'neutral athletes' at the Olympic-qualifying World Championships, starting September 16 as the ad-hoc panel, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, did not honour the 45-day deadline for conducting the elections. Terming the developments as "sad", Yogeshwar hoped a quick solution could be found to the crisis. "It is a very sad thing for Indians in general and wrestlers in particular. If we talk about wrestling in th

Sports ministry okays wrestlers Bajrang and Deepak's foreign training

The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has cleared wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Deeepak Punia's proposals to miss the World Championships trials and train abroad till the Asian Games, after receiving desired fitness certificates from the two athletes. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) wanted Olympic-medallist wrestler Bajrang to attend the trials for the World Championships or provide fitness certificate, if he wants exemption from this week's exercise in Patiala. Bajrang wanted to skip the trials for the World Championships on August 25 and 26 and train at a foreign location to prepare for the Asian Games in Hangzhou beginning September 23. Bajrang, one of the six wrestlers to sit in protest at the Jantar Mantar against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and Commonwealth Games gold-medal winner Deepak Punia (86kg), are not keen to compete in the World Championships in Belgrade from September 16, and instead want to undergo long training stints to prepare of th

Asian Games: Ruturaj Gaikwad to lean on lessons from captain cool MS Dhoni

Ruturaj Gaikwad feels leading a side is a complicated affair but he will try to make it simple like his Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni when he captains India at the Asian Games next month. Gaikwad will captain a side full of youngsters in Hangzhou with the main team busy with World Cup preparations at the same time. "Leadership role is a very complicated thing to be honest. What Mahi bhai (Dhoni) always says is to take it one game at a time, don't worry about the future. "Everyone creates hype and whatever it is. I am not the kind of person who tracks social media and hear things about what anyone is saying about me. "I think this is one of the traits that I have learned at CSK. I am pretty much clear about giving my best in the field, coming back home, chilling with my friends," he told reporters after India's 33-run win over Ireland in the second T20 on Sunday. The right-hander, who warmed up the bench for the major part of the West Indies tour, is getting to open in the

Sprinter, Asian Games medallist Dutee Chand faces four-year ban for doping

Dutee Chand was tested for selective androgen receptor modulators in December last year. Her ban period will be effective from January 3, 2023. This means she will be out of action till Jan 3, 2027

Difficult to focus on wrestling when sports' future is at stake: Bajrang

After calling off the protest, we wanted to give 100 per cent to training, but how is that possible when we got to know Brijbhushan's people could run the federation again, says Bajrang Punia

Vinesh Phogat out of Asian Games: Timeline of her injuries and achievements

Vinesh's wrestling career has been marred by controversy and injuries.

Asian Games 2023, India wrestling squad: Full list of wrestlers for Asiad

A total of 18 wrestlers were selected for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, with six wrestlers each in Greco-Roman, men's freestyle and women's freestyle.

Asian Games: Wrestler Vinesh pulls out; clears way for Antim's inclusion

Vinesh Phogat, who was given direct entry to the Asian Games, on Tuesday announced that she won't be able to compete at the quadrennial extravaganza in Hangzhou because of a knee injury that will require a surgery. The exemption from the Asian Games trials given to Vinesh and Bajrang Punia had created a huge controversy as the wrestling fraternity criticised the decision made by the ad-hoc panel. However, as luck would have it, Vinesh would not be part of the sporting action in Hangzhou, starting September 23. Vinesh revealed her injury in a statement issued on X, formerly twitter. "I wanted to share an extremely sad piece of news. A couple of days ago on 13th August 2023, I injured my left knee in training. After doing the scans and examinations, the doctor has said that unfortunately, surgery is the only option for me to recover," she wrote. "I will be undergoing surgery on 17th August in Mumbai. It was my dream to retain my Asian Games gold medal for India which I won in 2018 i

India Men's hockey coach Fulton calls ACT triumph big boost for Asian Games

The Asian Champions Trophy title triumph will "really count" as India set sights on Asian Games gold in order to secure automatic qualification to 2024 Paris Olympics, said head coach Craig Fulton. The India hockey team fought back from two goals down to eke out a 4-3 win over Malaysia in the final to claim their fourth ACT title here on Saturday. With the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled to commence on September 23, Fulton was asked whether a thrilling final like this will help the side in the continental showpiece event. "Finals are cagier; they never go smooth. It comes down to a moment or shootouts. So, it's important to have a game like this because it really counts. "At the same time, it's (ACT) not the Asian Games. So, our feet are firmly on the ground. But, if you said to me to win the Asian Games and lose this final, I would obviously vouch for winning the Games," added Fulton. Fulton said the comeback story of the team had begun two months back. "Two months ago," Fulton t

Asian Games: Rani Rampal not picked in probable list of women's hockey team

Just a couple of days after Hockey India appointed her as the coach of Indian U-17 women's team, former captain Rani Rampal found herself out of the 34-strong probables list for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, starting September 23. Rampal had on Thursday lashed out at the national head coach Janneke Schopman demanding an answer as to why she was being ignored despite her fair performances lately. While she accepted the HI offer to coach the junior side, she also was categorical about not retiring from competitive sport. "I am not retiring since I know I still have more to give to the sport as a player. I have this thing in me to not give up. If I had to, I'd have given up after the Olympics," Rampal had said during a HI event earlier this week. "We have showcased in our recent competitions that we are growing as a team and are constantly learning. The upcoming camp is an important one for us as we are spearheading our preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games, which could be our road

Asian Games 2023: Was a bit shocked at my exclusion - Shikhar Dhawan

Senior India batter Shikhar Dhawan was a "bit shocked" at his exclusion from India's Asian Games squad but remains determined to make a national comeback in the near future. With the first-choice players busy with preparation for the ODI World Cup at home, the BCCI named a squad full of youngsters for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September-October. The 37-year-old left-hander was tipped to lead the second-string India team in China, a role he performed until 10 months ago, but the selectors did not pick him and named Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain. "When my name was not there (for Asian Games), I was a bit shocked. But, then, I was like they have a different thought process, you just have to accept it. Happy that Rutu (Gaikwad) will lead the side. All the young boys are there, I am sure they will do well," Dhawan told PTI on Thursday. With Shubman Gill joining Rohit Sharma at the top, it seems the Indian team has moved on from Dhawan, who had become a one-format player until he was drop

Rani Rampal named coach of sub-junior team, but says she isn't retiring

It remains to be seen whether she will find a place in India's squad for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Asian Games 2023: Spinner Gayakwad sure of India winning Gold in Asiad

Having missed out on the gold at the Commonwealth Games, left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad is confident the Indian women's team can go the distance at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China next month. The Indian team came close to winning the coveted gold on women's cricket's Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham last year but went down to Australia in the summit clash. It was the side's third defeat in a big final in recent years. The 'Women in Blue' have got a direct qualification to the quarterfinals at the Asian Games based on their ICC T20I rankings. "Definitely, we will get the gold medal in the Asian Games," Gayakwad told PTI in an exclusive interview. "We have played against all major opponents in the past, but not to dwell on that much, we have the trust in our team that we are capable of winning and clinching the gold medal," she added. Gayakwad was not part of India's last assignment -- the tour of Bangladesh where they won the T20I series 2-1 but had to settle for a 1

I'll see how things happen after Asiad: Sreejesh opens up on his retirement

Veteran Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is taking one tournament at a time as far as his future is concerned and says he will "see how things happen" after the Asian Games in China in September-October. The 35-year-old goalkeeping legend is nearing 300 international matches after making his India debut in 2006. He is currently sharing the goalkeeping duties for India with Krishan Bahadur Pathak in the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) here. "At this age, better don't ask me about the next two years. It's all about the next one. I am at the Asian Games, and after that, I'll see how things happen. I will take it one tournament at a time," Sreejesh told PTI when asked about the possibility of him featuring in another ACT. The ACT is a biennial tournament, but the venue and dates of the next edition is yet to be announced. "As (Novac) Djokovic said, '35 is the new 25'. So, I'm definitely there," Sreejesh said after India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 on Wednesday. Sreejesh