India's canoeing team concluded its Asian Games campaign without securing any medals, a decline from their bronze-medal performance in the previous Hangzhou edition. The absence of the men's canoe double 1000m event, where India previously medalled, impacted their prospects.
India's medal tally at the Asian Games surged to 65, highlighted by rare silver medals in men's skiff sailing and Greco-Roman wrestling. The men's cricket and hockey teams secured their spots in the finals with impressive victories, while squash teams and compound archer Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru contributed bronze medals. Indian golfers are also in contention, and sepaktakraw guaranteed at least a bronze, showcasing a diverse sporting performance.
Indian men's and women's skeet teams have both secured bronze medals at the Asian Games. The women's team, comprising Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan, and Parinaaz Dhaliwal, finished third, while the men's team of Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, and Bhavtegh Singh Gill also claimed bronze. Additionally, Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal have qualified for the individual women's skeet final, adding to India's medal tally from the shooting range.
India's Jay Meena has advanced to the quarterfinals of the soft tennis event at the Asian Games after defeating Pakistan's Arain Hussain. Other Indian players, Aryan Thakur and Aadhya Tiwari, also saw mixed results in their respective matches.
The Olympic Council of Asia has advised national bodies, including India, to limit their contingent sizes for the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, due to the host nation's inability to accommodate more than 15,000 participants. This impacts support staff numbers, with India's contingent of 492 athletes requiring strict adherence to the 33% support staff cap. Organisers are implementing innovative accommodation solutions like container huts and a cruise ship.
Legendary Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, now coaching Uruguay, believes India can significantly improve its football standing despite cricket's dominance. He emphasizes the importance of grassroots development, strong domestic leagues, and consistent exposure to high-level international competition to nurture young talent and elevate the sport in the country. Forlan also shared his positive experiences with Indian football passion during his ISL stint.
The Indian women's recurve archery team secured a historic gold medal at the Asian Games by defeating 10-time Olympic champions South Korea. The team, comprising Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma, and Kumkum Mohod, displayed exceptional nerve in challenging conditions.
The Asian Games, a major multi-sport event, has a long history of controversies extending beyond the sporting arena. From diplomatic disputes and selection rows to doping scandals and disputed decisions, these incidents have often highlighted the intersection of politics, national interests, and sports.
India's first Archery World Cup Final male gold-medallist, Dhiraj Bommadevara, has inspired the national team ahead of the Asian Games. Dola Banerjee, India's first World Cup Final gold-medallist, believes his triumph will boost confidence and help the team surpass its previous medal haul, despite a new-look squad.
India delivered a commanding performance in the Asian Games women's cricket final, crushing Sri Lanka by 147 runs to retain their gold medal and open their 2026 campaign with India's first gold of the Games.
Indian boxer Sumit Kundu secured a unanimous 5-0 victory over Thailand's Bunjong Sinsiri in the 70kg opening round of the Asian Games. Kundu, who previously missed a medal at the Commonwealth Games, now advances to the pre-quarterfinals and aims for a gold medal.
Indian boxer Sachin Siwach secured a hard-fought split-decision victory over Jordan's Mohammad Adnan Abu Jajeh to advance to the men's 60kg quarterfinals at the Asian Games, moving one step closer to a medal.
India's Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza has made a strong start at the 2026 Asian Games, securing two victories in the Teqball women's singles event to reach the semi-finals.
Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu voiced strong displeasure regarding the "not really well organised" badminton scheduling at the Asian Games, citing three matches in 24 hours and insufficient recovery time.
Top-ranked 25m pistol shooter Esha Singh discusses her preparation for the upcoming Asian Games, highlighting her unique approach of competing against herself rather than others. She reflects on her recent World Cup gold and world record, emphasizing the importance of mental freshness and focusing on basics.
The Indian men's hockey team delivered a commanding performance at the Asian Games, defeating Sri Lanka 16-1 in their second Pool A match. Jugraj Singh, Abhishek, and Dilpreet Singh each scored hat-tricks, contributing to India's overwhelming victory.
India's men's cricket team arrived in Nagoya on Saturday with their Asian Games title defence set to begin, as the defending champions prepare to face Afghanistan in their quarter-final on September 28.
Indian judokas arriving for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow found their luggage missing, including essential training gear and uniforms. This incident follows a similar problem faced by the Indian boxing contingent just days prior, prompting the Indian Olympic Association to intervene.
India experienced a mixed day at the Asian Games, with skeet shooters and rowers adding to the medal tally, and wushu player Roshibina Devi securing a silver. While kabaddi and hockey teams continued their winning streaks, boxing, gymnastics, and fencing saw disappointments. The overall medal count reached 15, with only one gold so far.
Jay Meena secured India's first-ever soft tennis medal at the Asian Games, winning a bronze after a hard-fought semifinal loss to Japan's Takuya Kurosaka. Meena, playing in his third Asian Games, showed resilience but ultimately settled for bronze.
India's mixed 4x400m relay team, comprising TS Manu, MR Povamma, Jay Kumar, and Kiran, has qualified for the final at the Asian Games after finishing second in their heat with a time of 3:16.23.
Sawan Barwal ran a stunning marathon race to hand India an unexpected silver medal in the Asian Games -- shattering his own national record in the process in Nagoya on Saturday.
Indian badminton players experienced mixed fortunes at the Asian Games. Men's doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a surprising early exit, losing to Thailand's Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun. However, the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila secured two consecutive wins to reach the quarterfinals. Women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also advanced, while Unnati Hooda moved to the second round in women's singles. Other Indian pairs faced defeats, and the team events saw the women's team miss a medal and the men's team secure bronze.
Indian boxers Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg) and Jadumani Singh (55kg) have both advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Games. Chaudhary secured an upset victory over Paris Olympics bronze-medallist Aira Villegas, while Singh dominated his opponent, Chandra Bahadur Thapa, to move into the next round.
Indian badminton medallist H S Prannoy has strongly criticised the 2026 Asian Games organisers for a 'sad' event experience for athletes and a 'cruel' competition schedule for badminton, citing issues with accommodation and the lack of a dedicated athletes' village.
India's men's and women's Kabaddi teams successfully defended their gold medals at the Asian Games, both defeating Iran in their respective finals. The men's team secured their ninth gold with a 40-34 victory, while the women's team clinched their fourth gold with a 37-34 win, showcasing strategic play and composure under pressure.
Satnam Singh and Salman Khan secured India's first-ever men's double sculls bronze medal at the Asian Games, a significant achievement amidst an otherwise challenging performance by the Indian rowing team. The medal comes despite pre-competition controversy regarding team selections, with the duo forming their partnership just five days before the event.
Seasoned Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash failed to qualify for the men's 200m freestyle finals at the Commonwealth Games, finishing 20th overall. Compatriot Aneesh Gowda also missed out. While Aryan Nehra finished seventh in the 1500m freestyle, para swimmers Chaitanya Vishwas Kulkarni and Suyash Narayan Jadhav advanced to the S7 50m freestyle finals, offering a glimmer of hope for India.
Indian karateka Chetan Bhatt narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Asian Games, losing to Chinese Taipei's Meng-yu Chung by Senshu in the men's Kumite 84kg playoff after the bout ended 1-1.
Young Indian shooters Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil secured individual silver and bronze medals respectively in the men's 10m air rifle event at the Asian Games. They also combined with Parth Mane to win a team silver, contributing significantly to India's medal tally in shooting.
The Indian table tennis team, featuring strong contenders like the men's doubles pair of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar, has commenced its Asian Games campaign in Nagoya with aspirations of securing at least one medal. Both men's and women's teams are in Group F, facing Indonesia and other opponents. The team, a mix of experienced players and rising stars like Syndrela Das, is confident after acclimatising to the conditions.
Indian long jumper Shaili Singh discusses her controversial fourth-place finish at the Asian Games, where her jump measurement was disputed. She expresses her determination to move past the incident, focusing on upcoming competitions and her recovery from an ankle injury, while also exploring the triple jump.
Harmanpreet Kaur has stepped down as the captain of the Indian women's cricket team across all formats, a decision acknowledged by the BCCI which lauded her leadership, particularly the 2025 Women's World Cup victory and Asian Games gold medals. Kaur expressed her commitment to continue playing for India, contributing as a senior player.
India's men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed confidence in his team's ability to overcome World Cup disappointment and secure the Asian Games title, stating, "We always dominate in Asia."
PV Sindhu expressed her pain and disappointment following her quarterfinal exit at the Asian Games, where she lost to China's Chen Yufei. Despite the setback, the two-time Olympic medallist affirmed her commitment to addressing her shortcomings and highlighted her enduring passion for the sport, vowing to return stronger.
Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage secured the Asian Games gold medal, expressing regret over Neeraj Chopra's absence due to injury.
Indian soft tennis players Aadhya Tiwari and Jay Meena were eliminated from the Asian Games mixed doubles event in the round of 16 after a 2-5 loss to the Philippines pair. They had qualified for the knockout stage by finishing second in their group with two wins.
Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured two silver medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning an individual silver in the women's 10m air rifle event and contributing to a team silver. Her individual performance saw her finish closely behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who set a new Asian Games record.
India's large contingent of 501 athletes is set to compete at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, aiming to showcase the nation's growing sporting depth and its ambition to become a global top-10 sporting power by 2036. Despite initial accommodation challenges, the focus is on building on the momentum from the record 2022 Hangzhou Games, with strong medal hopes in shooting, athletics, cricket, badminton, and hockey.
We have to perform in both batting and bowling, Axar Patel says ahead of India's Asian Games 2026 cricket final against Pakistan on Saturday.
