Aichi-Nagoya, Sept 19:
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with India sending a 503-member athlete contingent comprising 269 men and 234 women.
India will compete across a wide range of disciplines, including athletics, shooting, badminton, boxing, wrestling, archery, hockey, kabaddi, cricket, table tennis and weightlifting.
India’s competitive action began ahead of the official opening ceremony, with teqball and other events getting underway. The women’s cricket team also began its campaign before the opening ceremony.
Several prominent Indian athletes are part of the contingent, including PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Manu Bhaker, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aman Sehrawat and Avinash Sable. The cricket teams are led by Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur, while Harmanpreet Singh captains the men’s hockey team and Salima Tete leads the women’s hockey side.
India won a record 107 medals at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals, finishing fourth in the overall medal table. Shooting, athletics, badminton, wrestling, boxing, archery, weightlifting and hockey are among the major disciplines in India’s 2026 campaign.
On September 20, Indian athletes will be in action in several disciplines, including shooting, badminton, hockey, cricket, table tennis, rowing and wushu. The women’s cricket semi-final between India and Bangladesh is scheduled for 10.30 am IST, while India’s women’s and men’s hockey teams face Uzbekistan and Indonesia respectively.
The official Games schedule runs from September 19 to October 4, with events spread across venues in Aichi and Nagoya. Organisers have also cautioned that schedules can change, particularly with weather conditions being monitored during the Games.