All posts tagged: Asian Games 2026

Joshna Chinappa earns record seventh Asian Games berth

Joshna Chinappa earns record seventh Asian Games berth

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India has finalised its squash squad for the 2026 Asian Games following the conclusion of selection trials in Chennai, with a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talent set to represent the country in Aichi-Nagoya. The squash competition at the Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, 2026, featuring five medal events: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s team, women’s team, and mixed doubles. Among the notable selections is veteran Joshna Chinappa, who will make her seventh consecutive Asian Games appearance. The experienced Indian star earned her place after topping her group during the selection trials. India’s highest-ranked players secured direct qualification based on their world rankings. Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani booked their spots in the men’s squad after remaining inside the world’s top 50, while teenage sensation Anahat Singh earned automatic qualification in the women’s category through the same criterion. The remaining positions were decided through the recently concluded trials in Chennai. Velavan Senthilkumar and Suraj Chand emerged as group winners to complete the men’s lineup alongside Abhay and Veer. …

Sachin Yadav withdraws from Commonwealth Games 2026, set for elbow surgery

Sachin Yadav withdraws from Commonwealth Games 2026, set for elbow surgery

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India’s hopes of a strong showing in men’s javelin at the Commonwealth Games 2026 have suffered a major blow after World Championships finalist Sachin Yadav confirmed his withdrawal from the event due to an elbow injury that will require surgery. The 23-year-old has been dealing with the issue since competing at the Indian Athletics Series-3 in New Delhi earlier this year. The injury reportedly worsened following his appearance at the Rome Diamond League and has now forced him to step away from competition indefinitely. The setback comes at a crucial stage of the season and raises doubts over his participation in the upcoming Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, an event that serves as an important qualification pathway for the 2026 Asian Games. Injury halts momentum after breakthrough 2025 season Sachin emerged as one of India’s brightest athletics prospects last year after producing a personal best throw of 86.27m and finishing fourth at the World Athletics Championships, narrowly missing out on a medal. However, the current season has proved far more challenging. The Indian thrower has …

Jyothi Surekha secure top-10 seeds in Archery World Cup Stage 3 qualifiers, Sahil exits early

Jyothi Surekha secure top-10 seeds in Archery World Cup Stage 3 qualifiers, Sahil exits early

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Indian compound archers Sahil Jadhav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam secured top-10 finishes in the qualification round of the Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Antalya, Turkey, on Tuesday, although Sahil’s individual campaign came to an early end in the knockout stage. Fresh from winning his maiden World Cup medal in Shanghai last month, Sahil continued his strong form by shooting 710 points to finish 10th in the men’s compound qualification rankings. Seven archers finished on the same score, but the Indian was placed 10th based on X-count. However, Sahil was unable to build on his promising qualification performance and was knocked out in the round of 64 after a narrow 147-145 defeat to Mexico’s Juan Gutierrez on Tuesday morning. Austria’s Nico Wiener topped the men’s qualification standings with 714 points. Among the other Indians, Rishabh Yadav finished 22nd with 706 points, while Asian Games-bound archers Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru and Kushal Dalal placed 33rd and 43rd respectively. Jyothi leads Indian women as teams secure strong seeds In the women’s compound event, veteran Jyothi Surekha Vennam …

Governance crisis forces Indian karatekas to miss second straight Asian Games

Governance crisis forces Indian karatekas to miss second straight Asian Games

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Having recovered from Stage II lymphoma after undergoing months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment last year, international karate player Akshay Mahara Booshanam should be focused solely on preparing for the biggest competitions of his career. Instead, the Commonwealth Karate Championship gold medallist finds himself fighting for something far more basic: the opportunity to represent India. Indian karate remains mired in a long-running governance crisis, with multiple bodies claiming authority over the sport and no federation currently recognised as the National Sports Federation (NSF). The uncertainty has left athletes fearing they could miss a second consecutive Asian Games cycle. “We are losing eight years of our careers waiting to play in these major events,” Akshay told The Bridge. “The similar thing happened in the last Asian Games cycle, and the same thing is happening in this edition as well. We are waiting for an opportunity to play in these major events, and unfortunately, again we’re going to miss out on this opportunity.” For athletes whose careers are measured in Olympic and Asian Games cycles, the prospect …

Dinesh, Deepak strike gold as India finish Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 with 16 medals

Dinesh, Deepak strike gold as India finish Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 with 16 medals

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India wrapped up a successful campaign at the Ulaanbaatar Open 2026 wrestling tournament in Mongolia with a total of 16 medals, including eight golds, after Dinesh Dhankhar and Deepak emerged victorious in their respective men’s freestyle categories on the final day. Competing in the men’s 125kg division, Dinesh Dhankhar delivered an impressive run to the title. The 25-year-old defeated Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbek, the reigning U20 world champion, 2-0 in the gold medal bout. His path to the final included a 5-1 victory over World Championships bronze medallist Robert Baran of Poland in the quarter-finals and an 11-0 technical superiority win against Timur Kotaev in the semi-finals. Deepak added another gold for India in the men’s 61kg category with a commanding 6-0 win over Kazakhstan’s Assyl Aitakyn in the final. He had earlier beaten Bair Baianduev 6-0 in the quarter-finals and Adilet Almukhamedov of Kazakhstan 7-1 in the semi-finals. India secure eight gold medals in Mongolia India also collected two bronze medals on the closing day. Sumit finished third in the men’s 57kg division after defeating …

Jasprit Bumrah, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in; Shreyas Iyer captain of India men’s cricket squad

Jasprit Bumrah, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in; Shreyas Iyer captain of India men’s cricket squad

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2 min readUpdated: Jun 6, 2026 02:22 PM IST Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will be part of the Indian squad for the 2026 Asian Games that will be held in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4 later this year, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar announced on Saturday. The pair had also announced Shreyas Iyer as the new captain of the Indian T20I team and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s selection for their upcoming tours of Ireland and England. Both players are in the squad for the Asian Games as well, with Iyer leading the side. The women’s teams for the cricket event is yet to be announced. Bumrah has been rested for the T20Is to be played in Ireland and England. He takes the place of Mohammed Siraj, who is the squad for the tours but not for the Asian Games. Tilak Varma will be vice-captain of the team. Sooryavanshi will be competing for a top-order spot in a squad that includes Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. India squad …

Gurashish Singh, Prateek Bhaunt secure Asian Games 2026 berths

Gurashish Singh, Prateek Bhaunt secure Asian Games 2026 berths

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India’s esports contingent for the 2026 Asian Games continues to take shape, with fighting game specialists Gurashish Singh and Prateek Bhaunt securing qualification in Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 respectively. The duo earned their places after winning their respective categories at the National Esports Championships (NESC) 2026, the official selection event for India’s esports representatives at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, scheduled from September 19 to October 4. Gurashish emerged as the national champion in Tekken 8, while Prateek topped the Street Fighter 6 competition to book his ticket to the continental event. Both titles will be part of the esports programme at the Asian Games, where India will aim to improve on its performances from previous editions. According to the confirmed selections, India has also finalised representatives in several other esports disciplines. Gobind Singh Bedi will compete in The King of Fighters XV, while the Revenant XSpark roster has secured qualification in Pokémon Unite. The RNTX roster earned India’s spot in Honor of Kings after winning the national qualification event. Esports continues …

Wrestler Deepak Punia turns accidental weight change to a golden opportunity

Wrestler Deepak Punia turns accidental weight change to a golden opportunity

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Lucknow: Olympian Deepak Punia returned to the Indian national wrestling team after a year by winning the Asian Games Trials here at SAI Lucknow on Sunday. Punia, who has been battling injuries for the past two years, suffered another setback recently when he was unable to cut weight for his usual 86kg category due to an injury. As a result, he was forced to switch to the 97kg weight class. However, the change didn’t affect him much, as he powered through the trials with some impressive victories. “I was only training for the 86kg category and had no plans to switch,” said Punia after his win. “But 5-6 days ago, I suffered a muscle tear that didn’t allow me to cut weight. So, I had no option but to move up to 97kg,” he added. The injury might have forced him to compete in 97kg, but Punia didn’t want to put on extra weight beyond his body’s tolerance and was only 95kg at the weigh-in. Despite that, he continued to dominate on the mat, especially …

Deepak Punia returns for Asian Games; Aman and Sujeet Kalkal join the charge

Deepak Punia returns for Asian Games; Aman and Sujeet Kalkal join the charge

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Lucknow: Top Indian male wrestlers confirmed their quota for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after a gruelling 12-hour-long selection process at SAI Lucknow on Sunday. Star Indian wrestlers Aman Sehrawat (57kg) and Sujeet Kalkal (65Kg) made it to the team comfortably, while Deepak Punia returned to the squad after a long wait. The Tokyo Olympian had a last-minute entry to the trial in a heavier weight class of 97kg after winning the Gonda National Open Tournament last month. He started his day with a cautious 4-0 win over Sahil Jaglan before claiming a pinfall win against Deepak Chahal in the second round. Later, he followed it up with a solid win over the top-seeded Vicky Hooda 7-3 in the semifinals and then claimed another victory by fall in the final against Jointy Kumar. Meanwhile, Aman had three wins on technical superiority to confirm his spot in the team, while Sujeet Kalkal edged past Vishal Kaliraman in the final to win the 65kg title. Coach Shako’s target tactical approach The Wrestling Federation of India has recently …

Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games hopes end after semifinal defeat at Selection Trials

Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games hopes end after semifinal defeat at Selection Trials

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Vinesh Phogat saw her hopes of representing India at the upcoming Asian Games 2026 come to an end after suffering a semifinal defeat in the women’s 53kg selection trials on Saturday. The two-time World Championships medallist had returned to competition amid significant controversy surrounding her eligibility and weight category. However, her comeback bid ended before the final, effectively ruling her out of contention for a place in India’s Asian Games squad. Earlier in the day, Vinesh comfortably opened her campaign with a 7-1 victory over Jyoti. She then found herself in a dramatic quarterfinal against Nishu, who raced into a 5-0 lead and came close to pinning the former world medallist after a spectacular four-point throw. Vinesh battled back in the second period, producing a crucial four-point move before edging ahead 6-5. The bout was marked by multiple challenges, technical interruptions and lengthy stoppages. After a tense finish, Vinesh advanced on the criteria following a 6-6 scoreline. She ended up losing to Meenakshi Goyat in the semifinals. Weight category dispute adds to dramatic day The …