Flags of various countries during the opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on September 19, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
The 20th Asian Games officially opened in Nagoya on Saturday (September 19, 2026), with India fielding athletes across multiple disciplines. The Games run till October 4.
The next 15 days will see around 11,000 athletes from 45 nations competing in 43 sports, 71 sub-events, and a total of 469 gold medals. Competitions for basketball, football, cricket and some other events have already started.
Also read: Full schedule, venue, events and more
India heads into the tournament looking to build on its record-breaking performance at Hangzhou 2023, where it won 107 medals, including 28 gold. India will look to defend its men’s and women’s cricket titles as well as the men’s and women’s kabaddi crowns. The men’s hockey team also enters the competition as the reigning champion.
Also read: Full India schedule with key events
The multi-sport event will feature 43 standard sports along with newer disciplines such as freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, paddle surfing, teqball and virtual taekwondo. Seven disciplines, namely archery, hockey, sailing, squash, surfing, tennis and triathlon, offer direct qualification quotas for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
(With agency inputs)
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