Asian Games 2026 Sports List, Disciplines, Medal Events & India's Participation
The 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (19 September – 4 October 2026) feature 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 medal events. India is competing in 34 of the 43 sports with a contingent of 503 athletes, and debut sports such as padel, teqball, surfing and MMA join the programme.
The Asian Games 2026 Sports List covers 43 sports, split into 71 disciplines and 469 medal events. The 20th edition of the Games, officially called Aichi-Nagoya 2026, runs from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Japan, with over 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions expected to take part. Some competitions, such as basketball and football preliminaries, began before the Opening Ceremony.
The programme blends Olympic sports (athletics, aquatics, boxing, badminton) with traditional Asian sports (kabaddi, wushu, kurash, sepaktakraw) and newer, youth-oriented events (esports, teqball, padel, surfing). For UPSC Prelims, the numbers, the debut sports and India's participation are the facts most likely to be tested.
Asian Games 2026 Sports List (All 43 Sports)
The table below lists every sport on the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 programme, with its disciplines, number of medal events, competition window and whether India is participating.
| # | Sport | Disciplines | Medal Events | Competition Dates | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquatics | Swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo | 55 | 20 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 2 | Archery | Recurve, compound | 10 | 26 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 3 | Athletics | — | 50 | 23 – 29 Sep | ✅ |
| 4 | Badminton | — | 7 | 20 – 29 Sep | ✅ |
| 5 | Baseball/Softball | Baseball, softball | 2 | 21 Sep – 3 Oct | ❌ |
| 6 | Basketball | Basketball, 3×3 basketball | 4 | 10 – 26 Sep | ❌ |
| 7 | Boxing | — | 11 | 21 Sep – 2 Oct | ✅ |
| 8 | Breaking | — | 2 | 2 – 3 Oct | ❌ |
| 9 | Canoe/Kayak | Canoe sprint, canoe slalom | 18 | 23 Sep – 2 Oct | ✅ |
| 10 | Combat Sports | Jiu-jitsu, kurash, mixed martial arts | 20 | 20 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 11 | Cricket | T20 | 2 | 17 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 12 | Cycling | Track, road, mountain bike, BMX racing, BMX freestyle | 22 | 20 Sep – 2 Oct | ✅ |
| 13 | Equestrian | Dressage, eventing, jumping | 7 | 21 Sep – 4 Oct | ✅ |
| 14 | Esports | — | 11 | 23 Sep – 2 Oct | ✅ |
| 15 | Fencing | Foil, épée, sabre | 12 | 22 – 27 Sep | ✅ |
| 16 | Football | — | 2 | 14 Sep – 3 Oct | ❌ |
| 17 | Golf | — | 4 | 30 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 18 | Gymnastics | Artistic, rhythmic, trampoline | 18 | 21 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 19 | Handball | — | 2 | 20 – 29 Sep | ❌ |
| 20 | Hockey | — | 2 | 18 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 21 | Judo | — | 15 | 30 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 22 | Kabaddi | — | 2 | 21 – 26 Sep | ✅ |
| 23 | Karate | Kata, kumite | 15 | 20 – 23 Sep | ✅ |
| 24 | Modern Pentathlon | — | 4 | 16 – 20 Sep | ❌ |
| 25 | Padel | — | 2 | 28 Sep – 3 Oct | ❌ |
| 26 | Rowing | — | 14 | 20 – 24 Sep | ✅ |
| 27 | Rugby | Rugby sevens | 2 | 1 – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 28 | Sailing | — | 14 | 26 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 29 | Sepaktakraw | — | 6 | 20 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 30 | Shooting | Rifle, pistol, shotgun | 28 | 20 Sep – 1 Oct | ✅ |
| 31 | Skateboarding | — | 4 | 24 – 27 Sep | ❌ |
| 32 | Sport Climbing | — | 6 | 29 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 33 | Squash | — | 5 | 23 Sep – 2 Oct | ✅ |
| 34 | Surfing | — | 2 | 25 – 28 Sep | ✅ |
| 35 | Table Tennis | — | 7 | 20 – 28 Sep | ✅ |
| 36 | Taekwondo | Kyorugi, poomsae, virtual taekwondo | 11 | 1 – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 37 | Tennis | Tennis, soft tennis | 10 | 18 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 38 | Teqball | — | 5 | 17 – 20 Sep | ✅ |
| 39 | Triathlon | — | 3 | 20 – 21 Sep | ❌ |
| 40 | Volleyball | Volleyball, beach volleyball | 4 | 16 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 41 | Weightlifting | — | 16 | 23 – 29 Sep | ✅ |
| 42 | Wrestling | Freestyle, Greco-Roman | 18 | 30 Sep – 3 Oct | ✅ |
| 43 | Wushu | Taolu, sanda | 15 | 20 – 24 Sep | ✅ |
| Total | 71 disciplines | 469 | 10 Sep – 4 Oct | 34 / 43 |
A dash (—) means the sport is contested as a single discipline. Some team sports began their preliminary rounds before the Opening Ceremony on 19 September, which is why the overall competition window starts on 10 September.
How Many Sports Are There in Asian Games 2026?
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 medal events. A sport is the broad category (for example, aquatics), a discipline is a branch within it (swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo), and a medal event is a single competition that awards a gold, silver and bronze (for example, the women's 100m freestyle).
New Sports and Disciplines in Asian Games 2026
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 adds several first-time events to the Asian Games programme:
- Padel — a racquet sport played on an enclosed court; making its Asian Games debut.
- Teqball — played on a curved table with a football; debuts with 5 medal events.
- Surfing — debuts with men's and women's shortboard events.
- BMX Freestyle — a new cycling discipline with men's and women's park competitions.
- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) — debuts under combat sports, alongside jiu-jitsu and kurash.
- Virtual Taekwondo — included for the first time with one mixed individual medal event.
- Esports — retained after its official medal debut at Hangzhou 2023, now expanded to 11 medal events.
Sports with the Most Medal Events
Aquatics offers the most medals with 55 events, followed by athletics (50). Together, these two sports account for more than a fifth of all 469 medal events.
| Rank | Sport | Medal Events |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquatics | 55 |
| 2 | Athletics | 50 |
| 3 | Shooting | 28 |
| 4 | Cycling | 22 |
| 5 | Combat Sports | 20 |
| 6 | Canoe/Kayak, Gymnastics, Wrestling | 18 each |
| 9 | Weightlifting | 16 |
| 10 | Judo, Karate, Wushu | 15 each |
Changes from Hangzhou Asian Games 2023
Aichi-Nagoya has more sports and disciplines than Hangzhou, but 12 fewer medal events.
| Feature | Hangzhou 2023 | Aichi-Nagoya 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | 40 | 43 |
| Disciplines | 61 | 71 |
| Medal Events | 481 | 469 |
Sports Removed or Restructured
- Dropped: Bridge, chess and dragon boat are not part of the 2026 programme.
- Roller sports no longer appears as a sport; roller skating has been dropped, while skateboarding now stands as a separate sport.
- Marathon swimming, earlier an aquatics discipline, is absent in 2026.
India's Participation in Asian Games 2026
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) cleared a 768-member contingent for Aichi-Nagoya, comprising 503 athletes (269 men, 234 women) and 265 coaches, medical staff and officials. This is noticeably smaller than the 661 athletes India sent to Hangzhou 2023.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Contingent | 768 members |
| Athletes | 503 (269 men, 234 women) |
| Support Staff & Officials | 265 |
| Sports (OCA programme) | 34 of 43 |
| Flag-bearers (Opening Ceremony) | Manu Bhaker (shooting) & Pawan Sehrawat (kabaddi) |
| Largest Squad | Athletics (70+ athletes) |
| Youngest / Oldest | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15 (cricket) / Shruti Vora, 55 (equestrian) |
| Cricket Captains | Shreyas Iyer (men) · Harmanpreet Kaur (women) |
| Notable Absence | Neeraj Chopra (withdrew due to an ankle injury) |
By the OCA's list of 43 sports, India competes in 34. The Sports Ministry's sanction refers to 36 sports/disciplines, as it counts some disciplines separately — surfing, for instance, was approved late as India's 36th. For exam purposes, 34 of 43 matches the official sports programme.
Sports India Is Not Participating In
India is absent from nine sports at Aichi-Nagoya 2026:
- Baseball/Softball
- Basketball
- Breaking
- Football
- Handball
- Modern Pentathlon
- Padel
- Skateboarding
- Triathlon
Why Is India Not Playing Football?
Team-sport selection follows the Sports Ministry's criteria, under which a team is generally considered only if it finished in the top eight at the latest Asian Championships or is ranked among the top eight Asian nations. Neither the men's nor the women's football team met this benchmark, so India has no football entry at Aichi-Nagoya.
Key Sports for India
- Athletics (50 events): India's largest squad. At Hangzhou 2023 it was India's top sport by medal count, with 29 medals (6 gold).
- Shooting (28 events): A 30-member squad led by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker. Shooting gave India 22 medals (7 gold) at Hangzhou 2023, and has already produced most of India's medals in 2026.
- Cricket (T20): India is defending both the men's and women's titles won at Hangzhou 2023. The women's team has already retained its gold in 2026.
- Kabaddi: India is defending both men's and women's titles.
- Hockey: The Asian Games tournaments double as continental qualifiers — the winners earn direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics. The men's team is the defending champion.
- Archery: India's compound archers won every compound gold at Hangzhou 2023, with Jyothi Surekha Vennam leading the squad again.
- Individual Olympic medallists: PV Sindhu (badminton), Manu Bhaker (shooting), Lovlina Borgohain (boxing), Aman Sehrawat (wrestling) and Mirabai Chanu (weightlifting).
- Debutants: India fields athletes in surfing (four surfers across men's and women's shortboard) and MMA, where Suchika Tariyal has already won India's first-ever Asian Games MMA medal.
A sports list may look like a trivia table, but it reveals policy choices — which sports Asia chooses to promote, and which ones India funds and fields. The Sports Ministry's "top-eight" rule, the Olympic qualification riding on hockey, and India's entry into surfing and MMA are all worth reading as signs of where Indian sport is heading. — Legacy IAS Faculty
Also Read: Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally – Country-Wise Medals & India's Tally
Asian Games 2026 Sports List: Key Facts for UPSC Prelims
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Edition / Host | 20th Asian Games · Aichi Prefecture & Nagoya, Japan |
| Dates | 19 September – 4 October 2026 |
| Sports / Disciplines / Events | 43 / 71 / 469 |
| Participants | 11,000+ athletes from 45 countries and regions |
| New Sports | Padel, Teqball |
| New Disciplines | Surfing, BMX Freestyle, MMA, Virtual Taekwondo |
| Most Medal Events | Aquatics (55), Athletics (50), Shooting (28) |
| Dropped since Hangzhou | Bridge, Chess, Dragon Boat, Roller Skating, Marathon Swimming |
| Cricket Format | T20 (men's and women's) |
| India | 503 athletes · 34 of 43 sports · absent from 9 |
| Governing Body | Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Kuwait City |
| Japan's Earlier Hostings | Tokyo 1958, Hiroshima 1994 |
Asian Games 2026 Sports List FAQs
Q1. How many sports are there in the Asian Games 2026?
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games feature 43 sports, divided into 71 disciplines, with 469 medal events.
Q2. Which new sports have been added to the Asian Games 2026?
Padel and teqball are new sports, while surfing, BMX freestyle, mixed martial arts and virtual taekwondo debut as new disciplines.
Q3. Which sport has the most medal events at the Asian Games 2026?
Aquatics, with 55 medal events, followed by athletics with 50 and shooting with 28.
Q4. In how many sports is India participating at the Asian Games 2026?
India is competing in 34 of the 43 sports, with a contingent of 503 athletes.
Q5. Which sports is India not participating in?
Baseball/softball, basketball, breaking, football, handball, modern pentathlon, padel, skateboarding and triathlon.
Q6. Why is India not playing football at the Asian Games 2026?
Neither Indian football team met the Sports Ministry's top-eight benchmark for team sports, based on the latest Asian Championships or Asian rankings.
Q7. Who were India's flag-bearers at the Opening Ceremony?
Shooter Manu Bhaker and kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat.
Q8. How is the Asian Games 2026 programme different from Hangzhou 2023?
It has more sports (43 vs 40) and disciplines (71 vs 61), but fewer medal events (469 vs 481). Bridge, chess and dragon boat have been dropped.
Key Takeaways
- The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games feature 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 medal events.
- Padel and teqball are new sports; surfing, BMX freestyle, MMA and virtual taekwondo are new disciplines.
- Aquatics (55) and athletics (50) have the most medal events.
- Compared with Hangzhou 2023, there are more sports and disciplines but 12 fewer medal events; bridge, chess and dragon boat were dropped.
- India is fielding 503 athletes in 34 of 43 sports, and is absent from nine, including football.
- The hockey champions qualify directly for the LA 2028 Olympics.
