India, Sep 20 : The 20th Asian Games officially opened in Nagoya, Japan, on September 19, with athletes from 45 nations and regions taking part in the opening ceremony. Competition across 43 sports began as India launched its campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
India’s schedule on September 20 featured several major contests and medal events. The women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, faced Bangladesh in the semifinal, with a place in the final at stake.
Shooting was another major focus for the Indian contingent, with Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod competing in the women’s 10m air rifle qualification and team final. The athletes were also scheduled to contest the individual final if they qualified.
Teqball player Quimcy Dsouza had two opportunities to compete for bronze medals. She featured in the women’s singles bronze-medal match and also partnered Mohamed Anas Beg in the mixed doubles bronze-medal contest.
India’s hockey teams also began their group-stage campaigns, with the women’s side taking on Uzbekistan and the men’s team facing Indonesia. The badminton women’s team was scheduled to meet Kazakhstan in the opening round of 16.
Indian athletes were also involved in table tennis, swimming, wushu, mixed martial arts and other events as competition intensified on the opening days of the Games.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games feature 43 sports and 369 gold-medal events, with esports, teqball and virtual taekwondo among the disciplines making their debut at the continental event.