India is heading into the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with the ambitious goal of crossing the 100-medal mark for the second consecutive edition.
The Asian Games will be held across Japan's Aichi prefecture from September 19 to October 4, bringing together athletes from across the continent. India finished fourth in the previous edition at Hangzhou with a record 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
Location: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Authority/Organisation: Olympic Council of Asia and participating national Olympic committees.
Action Taken: India has set an ambitious target of crossing the 100-medal mark again.
Impact: The Games will test India's progress across athletics, shooting, archery, wrestling, cricket, hockey and other sports.
The previous performance marked a major improvement for India, which had won 70 medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. India became the first country outside China, Japan and South Korea to cross the 100-medal mark at the Asian Games.
India's medal hopes in Nagoya are spread across athletics, shooting, archery, wrestling, boxing, badminton and several team sports.
Athletics was India's biggest medal-producing discipline in Hangzhou, while shooting also delivered multiple gold medals. The country will again rely on these disciplines along with archery, wrestling and other Olympic-level sports to build its medal tally.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
India's 107-medal performance at Hangzhou raised expectations around the country's ability to consistently compete for a place among Asia's leading sporting nations. A second consecutive 100-plus medal haul would strengthen that momentum and provide another indicator of India's expanding depth across Olympic and Asian Games disciplines.
India's cricket and hockey teams are also expected to be among the country's major gold-medal contenders. Kabaddi, squash and weightlifting are among the other sports where India will look to make a strong impact.
However, India's campaign will face challenges. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to miss the Games because of injury, removing one of India's strongest medal prospects from the competition.
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is among the athletes attracting attention as she aims to win her first Asian Games medal after previous disappointments.
With more than 10,000 athletes expected from 45 nations, the Aichi-Nagoya Games will provide another major test for India's growing sporting ambitions.
