Hong Kong to Send 580 Athletes to Asian Games as India Names 492-Strong Contingent

The 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya are set to bring together thousands of athletes from across the continent, with Hong Kong, China and India among the major delegations preparing for the September 19 to October 4 sporting spectacle in Japan.

Hong Kong, China, will send approximately 580 athletes across 38 sports, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), announced at a flag presentation ceremony on Tuesday. The overall delegation will comprise more than 800 members, including athletes, coaches, officials and support staff.

For Hong Kong, the scale of the delegation reflects its ambitions across a broad range of disciplines. With competitions taking place across multiple cities during the Aichi-Nagoya Games, logistics and athlete support will be a major challenge.

SF&OC president Timothy Fok Tsun-ting said the organisation would draw on its experience to ensure athletes can remain focused on competition despite the complexities associated with a multi-city Asian Games.

The Games will run from September 19 to October 4, bringing together Asia's leading sporting nations and some of the continent's biggest stars.

India names 492 athletes for Aichi-Nagoya.

India will also arrive in Japan with a sizeable delegation after the Sports Ministry approved a 492-member athlete contingent for the Asian Games. The Indian contingent consists of 265 male and 227 female athletes, with athletes selected across a wide range of sports.

Athletics forms the largest component of India's contingent, with 73 athletes – 35 men and 38 women – set to represent the country.

The athletics team will miss the services of Neeraj as he is sidelined by an injury. He will be joined by several other leading names, including long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, long-distance runner Gulveer Singh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar and 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji.

With the Asian Games taking place after a busy international athletics calendar, the performances of India's established stars as well as its emerging athletes will be closely watched.

Shooting remains another major medal prospect for India, with a 30-member squad approved for the Games. The team includes two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, alongside several talented young shooters. Suruchi Singh, Elavenil Valarivan and Esha Singh are among the names expected to carry significant expectations in their respective pistol and rifle events.

India's strong recent performances in international shooting have raised expectations ahead of Aichi-Nagoya, and the Asian Games will provide another opportunity for the country's shooters to challenge for medals.

PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen lead badminton squad

India's 20-member badminton team features a blend of established champions and emerging talent. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will be among the biggest names in the women's singles competition, while Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty will spearhead India's men's singles challenge.

In doubles, India will be represented by the women's pair of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty remain one of the country's strongest medal prospects in men's doubles.

Gayatri and Treesa's recent World Championships bronze medal further adds to expectations around India's badminton contingent.

India's boxing squad will consist of 11 athletes, including recent Commonwealth Games silver medallists Lovlina Borgohain, Narender Berwal and Jadumani Singh. The weightlifting team, meanwhile, includes Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu in the 49kg category and Gyaneshwari Devi in the 53kg category. Rishikanta Singh, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, is the lone male member of the five-athlete squad.

The reduction in the weightlifting contingent followed doping-related issues involving some selected athletes. Wrestling will also provide India with several medal contenders. Sixteen wrestlers have been approved, including world championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal in the 53kg category and Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat in the 57kg category.

India aims for strength across team sports

India's contingent will also feature full-strength men's and women's kabaddi teams, with both sides looking to defend the gold medals won at the previous Asian Games. Cricket will contribute 30 athletes across the men's and women's teams, while India will field a 13-member women's rugby team. The country will also have representation in volleyball, sepak takraw, rowing, tennis and esports, among other disciplines.

In tennis, Sumit Nagal is the only singles player included in the seven-member squad. Sepak takraw will see 21 Indian athletes compete, while 22 rowers have been selected. India has also approved a 15-member esports contingent, all of whom are men.

While the athlete list has been approved, India's complete support staff list has not yet been announced. The Sports Ministry is recalibrating the support structure to ensure adequate representation of sports science professionals, including physiotherapists and medical personnel, across the participating teams.

That aspect could prove particularly important at a multi-sport event where athletes will be competing across different venues and cities. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will therefore represent not just a test of India's sporting strength but also of the country's ability to provide the infrastructure and support required to help its athletes perform at their best.

With 492 Indian athletes and around 580 athletes from Hong Kong, China already confirmed, both delegations will arrive in Japan with significant medal ambitions. For India, the spotlight will inevitably fall on stars such as Neeraj Chopra, Manu Bhaker, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Mirabai Chanu. But alongside them will be a large group of emerging athletes hoping to use the Asian Games as a breakthrough moment.

As the September 19 opening approaches, the scale of the Indian and Hong Kong delegations underlines what promises to be one of the biggest sporting gatherings of 2026 — and a crucial opportunity for Asia's athletes to establish themselves on the continental stage.