New Delhi, 18 October 2026: The Asian Para Games of 2026 will start today in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. About 3000 players from Paralympic committees of 45 countries will participate in this sports festival. Competitions in 18 different sports will be held in these games, which will be held till October 24. The opening ceremony will be held at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, starting at 2:30 pm IST. Para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat and sprinter Simran Sharma will lead the Indian contingent carrying the national flag. The Indian delegation consists of a total of 281 members.
This includes 168 players and 113 officials and support staff. Indian players will participate in 11 sports. The Indian contingent includes prominent players like javelin thrower Sumit Antil, para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat, para-shooter Avni Lekhhra, para-archery player Sheetal Devi, sprinter Simran Sharma and para-table tennis player Bhavina Patel.
In the previous Asian Para Games to be held in Hangzhou, China in 2023, India performed brilliantly and won a total of 111 medals. This includes 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze medals. India stood fifth in the medal tally.
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