As the 20th Asian Games approaches, Japan is set to welcome 15,000 athletes and team officials from 45 countries.
India, too, will be sending around 500 athletes to compete in the Games, a win in which will do much to boost the country’s perception in the global stage ahead of its bid to host the 2036 Olympics.
Here is a look at how India has done so far, the sports disciplines that have given it the most medals, the established leaders in the Games, and when to catch the action for each sport.
India’s medal hauls India won 106 medals in 2023, the highest since it began participating in the Asian Games.
This came after a drop in the medal haul after 1982, when India won 57 medals.
Then, from 2010 onwards, India has beat its previous Games haul, except in 2014.
Key sports events Events within the athletics, shooting, archery and wrestling disciplines contributed the most to the total medal haul.
Of the events that are not part of this year’s line-up, chess, roller skating and bridge contributed five medals in total.
Dominant countries Besides increasing medals in recent years, India has also increased in rank with respect to other participating countries over the years.
In 2023, it was ranked the fourth in terms of medal haul.
On the other hand, China, South Korea and this year’s host Japan, have been in the top three over the past two decades.
China, notably, has retained the number one rank throughout.
Chinese Taipei and Bahrain have climbed up the ranks since 2002, going from the 8th to 6th rank and from the 19th to the 9th rank in 2023.
India’s Games schedule Of the sports in which India is participating, teqball was the first to start.
Rugy Sevens and Taekwondo are the last to start at the tail end of the Games on October 1.
Athletics events of field and track games begin on September 24, and end on September 30.
This will include events like the women’s heptathlon, men’s decathlon, relays, sprints and more.
Shooting, another key sport, will begin on September 20.
Venues in Japan For the Asian Games events, 54 venues have been selected to host.
Most venues are located in the Aichi prefecture, with a couple more in Tokyo and Osaka.
A map of venue cities in Japan hosting 2026 Asian Games events Japan’s hosting has come under fire in recent days.
One point of concern was the shoddy process in allocating accommodations to incoming athletes, with athletes detailing delays in getting their rooms and a lack of amenities during the intervening time.
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Athletes were given either a container-style room or rooms aboard a cruise liner for their stay during the Games.
However, these accommodations have been too cramped, with faulty amenities for some athletes.
Besides accommodations, South Korea’s National Olympic Committee had raised displeasure at the presence of a Japanese 16th century warlord in the Japanese group welcoming the arriving athletes.
Japan and South Korea have a history of violence under Japan’s colonial rule in the Korean peninsula, with the warlord being known for his invasion into Korea.
