Sports Ministry approves 492-member Indian athlete contingent for 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya

The Sports Ministry has approved a 492-member Indian athlete contingent for the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4.

Athletics forms the largest part of the Indian contingent, with 73 athletes selected for the continental multi-sport event. Overall, the squad comprises 265 male and 227 female athletes, reflecting India’s representation across a wide range of Olympic and Asian Games disciplines.

The ministry is yet to announce the list of support staff who will accompany the athletes to Japan.

Athletics leads the Indian contingent.

With 73 athletes, athletics will have the biggest Indian representation at the Games. The squad includes 35 men and 38 women and features several of India’s leading international performers. Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra headlines the contingent in the javelin throw. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, who has returned to competition after injury setbacks, is also part of the squad.

India’s athletics team also includes national record holders and established international performers such as long-distance runner Gulveer Singh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar and 100m hurdles specialist Jyothi Yarraji.

The size of the athletics squad underlines the sport’s importance to India’s overall medal ambitions. With medals available across track, field and road events, athletics will once again be among the key sports for the Indian contingent.

Hockey has the second-largest contingent with 40 athletes, comprising 20 men and 20 women. Cricket T20 and shooting will each have 30 athletes, with shooting fielding an equal split of 15 men and 15 women. The squad is led by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, with Suruchi Singh, Elavenil Valarivan and Esha Singh among the other prominent names.

Cricket will return to the Asian Games programme, with the men’s and women’s teams accounting for 30 athletes in the approved contingent. Kabaddi will have a full-strength 24-member squad, comprising 12 men and 12 women. India will look to defend the two gold medals won by its men’s and women’s teams at the previous edition.

Strong representation across racket sports

Badminton will send a 20-member squad featuring several of India’s biggest names. P. V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty are part of the team, while the successful doubles combinations of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly have also been selected.

The women’s doubles pair of Treesa and Gayatri arrive after winning a bronze medal at the recent World Championships, giving India added strength in the women’s doubles competition. In tennis, India have selected a seven-member squad. Sumit Nagal is the only singles specialist in the contingent, with the remaining selections focused on doubles and team competition.

Soft tennis will have a smaller Indian representation, while table tennis, fencing and other racket and combat sports will also contribute athletes to the overall delegation.

Rowing and Sepak Takraw receive sizeable squads

Rowing will have a 22-member contingent, making it one of India’s larger squads for the Games. The selected athletes will compete across sculling and sweep events, with India also naming reserves for several boat classes.

Sepak Takraw will send 21 athletes. The sport, which combines elements of volleyball, football and gymnastics, will feature Indian representation in both men’s and women’s events. The squad size reflects India’s attempt to compete across multiple formats, including regu, quadrant and other team disciplines.

India’s weightlifting squad has been reduced to five athletes following doping violations involving some originally selected names.

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Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will lead the women’s challenge in the 49 kg category. Gyaneshwari Devi, who recently won a Commonwealth Games silver, is another key member of the squad. Rishikanta Singh, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the men’s 60kg category, is the lone male weightlifter selected.

The remaining women’s selections include Seram Nirupama Devi and Harjinder Kaur, giving India representation across multiple weight categories.

Boxing, wrestling and team sports in focus

India have named 11 boxers for the Asian Games. The squad includes recent Commonwealth Games silver medallists Lovlina Borgohain in the women’s 75kg category, Narender Berwal in the men’s +90kg division and Jadumani Singh in the men’s 55kg category.

Wrestling will have a 16-member contingent led by Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat and World Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal. India will field only the women’s team in rugby sevens, with 13 players selected. In volleyball, the country will be represented by a 12-member men’s team.

Esports has also received a sizeable allocation, with 15 athletes approved, all of them men.

The 492-athlete contingent represents one of India’s broadest Asian Games delegations, with athletes selected across established medal-winning disciplines and emerging sports. The challenge in Aichi-Nagoya will be to convert this depth into podium finishes against Asia’s strongest sporting nations. Athletics, shooting, badminton, wrestling, boxing, kabaddi and weightlifting are expected to be among the sports carrying major medal expectations.

With 265 men and 227 women approved, India will enter the 2026 Asian Games with representation across individual, team and mixed disciplines.

The final size of the overall Indian delegation will increase further once the Sports Ministry announces the accompanying coaches, support staff and officials for the September 19 to October 4 Games in Japan.