New Delhi, Sept. 15: India will enter the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with an ambitious target of crossing the 100 medal mark once again after recording a record haul of 107 medals at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
The Indian contingent is expected to compete across 34 sports at the continental multi sport event, with shooting, archery, athletics and cricket identified among the country’s leading medal winning disciplines. The Games are scheduled to get underway this week in Japan.
India’s strong performance in Hangzhou raised expectations around the country’s ability to consistently challenge for medals across a wider range of disciplines. The Aichi Nagoya edition provides another opportunity for athletes to build on that progress.
The shooting squad will be among the major medal hopes, while India’s archers will also look to convert their recent international performances into success on the Asian stage. Athletics remains another key area, with several established competitors expected to lead the challenge.
Cricket will add further interest to India’s campaign. The men’s team, led by Shreyas Iyer, enters the competition as defending champions and has received direct entry into the quarter final stage. The women’s side will also begin its campaign with ambitions of retaining its Asian Games gold medal.
India’s campaign begins with teqball on September 17, followed by women’s cricket and other events from September 18. With medals available across dozens of disciplines, the country’s overall performance will depend on contributions from both established stars and emerging athletes.
After its historic showing in Hangzhou, India now faces the challenge of maintaining that momentum and establishing itself firmly among Asia’s leading sporting nations.