India’s campaign at the Asian Games 2026 will officially begin on Saturday, September 19, with the Aichi-Nagoya Games opening ceremony scheduled to take place in Japan. However, some events, including women’s cricket, soft tennis and Teqball, have already begun before the official opening ceremony.
Asian Games 2026 Day 1 schedule
The first Indian athlete in action on Saturday will be Quimcy Dsouza, who will compete in the women’s singles semifinal in Teqball at 6:30 AM IST.
The Asian Games opening ceremony is scheduled for 2:30 PM IST.
Quimcy Dsouza reaches Teqball semifinals
India’s Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza moved closer to a historic Asian Games medal after reaching the women’s singles semifinals in Teqball in Nagoya on Friday.
Making her debut at the Asian Games, Quimcy produced a major upset by defeating Japan’s top seed Yuina Sakamoto 2-1 (10-12, 12-11, 13-11) in her opening Group A match.
She then registered another convincing victory, beating Cambodia’s Koemyean DY 2-0 (12-9, 12-7) in her second group fixture. The result saw her finish at the top of Group A and secure a place in the semifinals.
As the group winner, Quimcy advanced directly to the semifinals after receiving a bye in the quarterfinals.
Quimcy eyes India’s first-ever Teqball medal
The 24-year-old will take on Indonesia’s Sumaya in the women’s singles semifinal on Saturday.
A victory would assure India of its first-ever medal in teqball at the Asian Games. Even if Quimcy is beaten in the semifinal, she will still have an opportunity to claim a bronze medal in the third-place match on Sunday.
Six sports make Asian Games debut
Teqball is among six sports being introduced at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games for the first time.
The other five are Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Padel, Surfing, BMX Freestyle and Virtual Taekwondo.
Teqball combines elements of football and table tennis and is played on a curved table. The sport has added an extra layer of interest to India’s opening-day campaign, with Quimcy now just one victory away from securing a historic medal.
Asian Games 2026 Day 1 timings in IST
6:30 AM: Teqball — Women’s Singles semifinal — Quimcy Dsouza
2:30 PM: Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony
