Asian Para Games

Paralympic champions Pramod Bhagat and Bhavina Patel will lead the Indian contingent as flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games on October 18 in Nagoya, Japan.

• Pramod, one of India’s most decorated para badminton players, has won six Asian Para Games medals between 2014 and 2023, including two golds and four bronze.

• Bhavina, one of India’s leading para table tennis players, has won two Asian Para Games medals between 2018 and 2023, including one silver and one bronze.

Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur on 6 October 2026 announced that she has stepped down as captain of the Indian women’s cricket team across all formats, bringing an end to her tenure at the helm. Harmanpreet will continue to represent India as a player across formats. India named top-order batter Smriti Mandhana as their new captain.

• Kaur’s decision comes after she led India to a gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games. One of the defining achievements of her captaincy came in 2025, when she guided India to their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title.

• Harmanpreet took charge of India’s T20I team in 2016 and remained in the role for 10 years. She became the ODI captain in 2022 before taking over as the all-format leader in 2023.

• Kaur (37 years) captained India in five tests, 51 one-day internationals and 155 Twenty20 internationals, leading the side to their first-ever 50-over World Cup triumph on home soil last year (2025).

The Asian Games 2026

♦ The Asian Games 2026 have officially concluded at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya on 4 October 2026. The ceremonial torch and flag from the inaugural Asian Games were handed over to representatives of Qatar, which will host the next edition in Doha in 2030. The handover marks the official transition from Nagoya 2026 to Doha 2030.

♦ India finished fourth in the overall medal standings, with an impressive 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver, and 37 bronze. The 85-medal haul was below India’s record performance of 106 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, when the country won 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze medals. However, the Aichi-Nagoya campaign produced a series of landmark achievements across disciplines.

♦ China topped the medal table with 341 medals, including 169 gold, followed by hosts Japan with 269 medals, including 83 gold. South Korea finished third with 150 medals, including 39 gold.

♦ Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda, who won two gold medals and a silver during the Games, carried the Indian flag as the country’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony.

Asian Games 2026

♦ India won five gold medals in the Asian Games 2026 on October 3. India's Mens cricket team successfully defended their Asian Games cricket title, beating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final. After posting 211/6, India restricted Pakistan to 192/6 despite Hasan Nawaz scoring 96 off 51 balls.

♦ India have won the men’s hockey gold medal for the second successive Asian Games, beating Malaysia 5-1 to successfully defend their title. The victory gives India their fifth Asian Games hockey gold and marks the first time they have won the men’s title at back-to-back editions. India also secured an LA 2028 Olympic quota with the gold.

♦ Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games, holding her nerve to clinch a shoot-off. Her triumph also secured an LA 2028 Olympic quota for India in the women’s individual recurve event. Neeraj Chauhan added a bronze in the men’s individual recurve to round off India’s archery campaign.

♦ Pranavi Urs wrote her own piece of history in golf, becoming the first Indian woman to win individual gold at the Asian Games. She also helped India to silver in the women’s team event alongside Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar.

♦ Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men’s freestyle 57kg event, beating North Korea’s Han Chong-song 11-7 in a thrilling final. 

♦ Antim Panghal won silver in the women’s 53kg category after losing 9-1 to Japan’s Moe Kiyooka in the final. Antim’s silver is her second at the Asian Games after the bronze she won at Hangzhou 2023.

♦ Deepak Punia won bronze in the men’s 97kg freestyle, edging Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1 in a tightly contested bout.

Asian games

♦ Greco Roman wrestler Nitesh Siwach bagged silver medal in men’s 97kg at Asian games in Japan on 1 October 2026. He lost to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato 0-4 in the final. secured India’s first Asian Games silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 64 years. 

♦ India won Greco-Roman gold and silver medals at Jakarta 1962, when the wrestling style made its Asian Games debut. India won two gold medals at that edition through Malwa Singh (52kg) and Ganpat Andalkar (+97kg). Udey Chand (70kg), Sajjan Singh (87kg) and Maruti Mane (97kg) won silver medals. India won two gold medals at that edition through Malwa Singh (52kg) and Ganpat Andalkar (+97kg). Udey Chand (70kg), Sajjan Singh (87kg) and Maruti Mane (97kg) won silver medals.