India retained its fourth-place finish at the recently concluded Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan. However, the medal tally dropped from 107 to 85 from the previous edition, raising critical questions about system accountability and athlete preparation.
Is the decline in India’s medal tally a worrying sign two years before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028?
The Federal spoke to veteran sports journalist Ayaz Memon to get the answers. He also evaluated whether the Nagoya campaign represents a routine slump or a deeper structural issue across key sporting federations.
Edited excerpts
India finished fourth again in the just-concluded Asian Games, but with 22 fewer medals and seven fewer golds than the previous edition. Having watched Indian sports for decades, do you think this is a normal dip or a structural slide?
The most optimistic way of looking at it is that it’s a normal dip and these things can happen—a passing dip, so to speak. But 22 medals short is about 20 per cent fewer medals, which is a steep decline whichever way you look at it. I think it’s a warning signal. The Olympics is less than two years away, and if you don’t pull up your socks now, examine what went wrong in Japan, and put remedial measures in place, there could be trouble ahead.
This was a warning to the various federations whose athletes were represented at Nagoya, as well as for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry. I won’t say it’s a flop show, but if I have to give a report card, what we saw in Japan was a fair result—just about average. It’s certainly not outstanding, but there’s a lot of disappointment as to why we could not win more medals.
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Hockey and cricket delivered gold medals, while India fell short in individual sports like shooting, badminton, and athletics. Why does India do well in team sports and struggle in individual ones? Where are things going wrong?
Historically, these three sports have been areas where we are traditionally strong. The women’s team winning the hockey medal was remarkable because it came after 44 years. Hockey has historically been one of India’s strengths, more so in the men’s section. Kabaddi is an Indian sport, and if you don’t win a medal there, it reflects very poorly on the country. In cricket, India is so strong today in both the women’s and men’s sections that it would have been a shocker had India not won both gold medals. The team events doing well was more than a foregone conclusion.
It’s in areas like shooting, badminton—with PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen—and table tennis, where we struggled. In 2023 in Hangzhou, we did extremely well in athletics, which was one of the primary reasons we reached 107 medals. This time, because of athletics, the total number came down. Obviously, there are a lot of issues that the Athletics Federation of India has to analyse regarding what went wrong and what could be done better. From the athletes and coaches to the federation heads, the IOA, and the Sports Ministry, everyone has a task ahead in the run-up to the 2028 Olympics.
In cricket, India won both golds. Is this a reflection of India’s strength or thin competition?
In the women’s section, it was certainly thin competition because the stronger teams in women’s cricket are not necessarily from Asia. India is very strong, Sri Lanka to some extent, but Pakistan is not really of the same calibre. For women’s cricket, you have to look at teams like Australia, England, or South Africa.
In men’s cricket, it’s a little different. Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are all ICC members playing regular international cricket, so the competition was tougher. Although those teams were perhaps not at full strength, that is no fault of India’s. We had a competitive final where Pakistan put up a good show, and it needed India’s expertise and the heft we have in batting and bowling to win that match.
Speaking of beating Pakistan in the men’s cricket final, the absence of handshakes showed how much politics shadows these contests. Has the rivalry lost its sporting spirit?
Sport is played to bring everybody together, not to cause further division. Historically, there have been political protests in sports at the Olympics and other arenas, but the question is how long this continues.
When India and Pakistan play kabaddi or hockey, there is no such overt display of tension—the rivalry remains centered on the sport. That is how it should be because ultimately you are out there playing a sport. Why should it be different when playing hockey compared to playing cricket? That really is the issue.
The women’s hockey team ended a 44-year wait for gold and the men retained their title. Are both genuine medal contenders for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics?
I would like to think so. Over the last five or six years, the Indian men’s team has done consistently well, and winning this gold was a continuation of that good form, having been on the podium in the Olympics as well.
The women’s team has had to struggle a lot more, but beating defending champions China was a magnificent achievement. The last time they won gold was in 1982 in Delhi, 44 years ago. That shows an upward gradient for the team, which is an encouraging sign for how the Olympics will shape up. The Olympics will be much tougher with the best teams in the world present, but carrying the confidence of this win into the next tournament helps. A lot needs to be done to ensure this form keeps trending upward and doesn’t plateau or dip.
Shooting has been India’s most dependable Olympic sport. What does a poor Asian Games campaign say about the road to LA 2028?
We missed out on a few medals in shooting, and that needs to be thoroughly examined. Shooting is a very difficult sport where scores of 9.9, 9.95, and 10 are frequent, so the margin of error is minuscule. It isn’t just about skill; it’s about temperament, mentality, and the psychological aspect of the sport. That is where Indian shooters need to toughen up further.
While the Commonwealth Games might be the easiest of the multi-discipline events, the Asian Games are often tougher for Indians in sports like shooting, archery, and hockey, with the Olympics being at the absolute peak. We need to place heavy emphasis on both physical and mental conditioning that produces champions. We saw that in archery, where 17-year-old Sharvari Shende from Maharashtra beat South Koreans in the recurve event, breaking down a 40-to-50-year legacy. That demonstrates what hard work, focus, and proper training can achieve.
How much of the fall in India’s medal tally is a reflection of the growing strength of China, Japan, and South Korea, and how much is India’s own decline?
India improved its tally substantially in the previous edition, and achieving that same figure or falling short by two or three medals would have been understandable, but being 22 short is significant. Even China finished with around 35 to 37 fewer medals, but their total standing remains phenomenally high at 341 medals. Japan did extremely well as the host country, and South Korea performed strongly as well.
Going forward, countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are ones to watch in sports like wrestling, weightlifting, and combat disciplines. One area India needs to look at very seriously is swimming, where China makes a huge sweep of medals. Because there are so many medals to be won in swimming, gymnastics, and athletics, slumping in those areas causes the overall medal count to drop by 15 to 18 medals.
These areas need thorough examination by the federations, the IOA, and the Sports Ministry. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) is a fine scheme for funding potential medalists, but federations must ensure there is no laxity or lapse in preparation. There were reports from Japan of athletes pulling out due to last-minute injuries, which leaves squad positions unfulfilled. There needs to be a crackdown on such attitudes and a focus on improving overall competitive aptitude.
Federations are often run by politicians. Do national sports heads bear accountability for these results?
Politics has been part of sporting federations for a long time, including the BCCI. But the BCCI functions and cricket delivers, which shows that if sports administration is given to deserving people who can execute, it works.
Ultimately, what matters is what the administrators deliver. That demands strict accountability from federation office-bearers, the IOA, and the Sports Ministry. Having people in positions of power solely for political reasons means you are shooting yourself in the foot.
What should the Indian Olympic Association be doing that it is not doing regarding selection, planning, and athlete support?
All federations are accountable to the IOA in terms of administration, elections, and athlete welfare. The benchmarking for assessing federations needs to be stiffer and stricter. While the Sports Ministry shouldn’t involve itself in day-to-day operations, the federations must continuously focus on performance improvements.
First and foremost, athletes need to be treated far better. That does not mean pampering them—they must be held accountable as well—but ill-treating them, as seen in wrestling, cannot lead to peak performance. Relying on autocratic methods demonstrates a poor understanding of human nature and will not deliver consistent results.
Fourth place is not a podium finish. What are the three most urgent changes India needs before LA 2028 and the 2030 Asian Games in Doha?
First, identify sports with large medal offerings where we are currently underrepresented, such as swimming. While we won’t become a swimming power in two years, long-term planning over 10 to 15 years is essential. An athlete like Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, which highlights how crucial high-return disciplines like swimming and gymnastics are for top-ranking nations like the US and China.
Second, improve federation management, fund allocation, and grassroots talent scouting. Early coaching methods are vital because faulty techniques taught at a young age stay with athletes and are difficult to correct later in their careers.
Third, create more opportunities and incentives for women to participate in sports. Of the 85 medals India won in Nagoya, at least 50 per cent were won by women. Keeping women out of sports due to conservative mindsets limits potential. Families, communities, and society must encourage women to participate in sports, not just for medals, but for leading healthy and rewarding lives. You cannot keep 50 per cent of your population away from sports and expect to become a true sporting nation.