After a promising 2025, when Indian sportspersons made their mark across several events on the global stage, 2026 brings a fresh set of challenges. At the top of the calendar is the 20th edition of the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
India’s performance across Olympic sports in 2025 was a mixed bag. The country enjoyed notable success in archery, boxing, wrestling, shooting, weightlifting and hockey, while some disciplines fell short of expectations.
In archery, the Indian men’s recurve team comprising Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Atanu Das secured a silver medal at the 2025 World Cup. India also produced a strong showing in compound archery, with the women’s team and Jyothi Surekha Vennam winning silver medals in the team and individual events respectively.
Indian athletes also returned with 12 medals, including two gold and five silver, from the 2025 Summer World University Games. However, the year’s biggest athletics event, the World Championships, ended in disappointment after Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra finished without a medal, ending his run of podium finishes at major events dating back to 2018.
Badminton also delivered mixed results. Beyond a handful of medals in junior tournaments and mid-level events, India’s strongest showing came from the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who continued to compete against some of the world’s leading combinations.
With 2025 now behind them, the focus shifts firmly to Aichi–Nagoya 2026. The Asian Games will offer Indian athletes an opportunity to build momentum and convert their potential into medals on a major multi-sport stage.
The Games also come at a significant point in India’s sporting calendar, with the Los Angeles Olympics two years away and the 2030 Commonwealth Games four years ahead. The latter is expected to return to a broader sporting programme after the scaled-down 2026 edition in Glasgow, which features only 10 sports.
Asian Games India schedule: Check full list of events
| Event | Start Date | End Date | Venue Details |
| Opening Ceremony | 19 Sept 2026 | 19 Sept 2026 | Paloma Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya |
| Closing Ceremony | 4 Oct 2026 | 4 Oct 2026 | Paloma Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya |
| Artistic Swimming | 26 Sept | 28 Sept | Furuhashi Hironoshin Memorial Hamamatsu Swimming Centre, Hamamatsu |
| Diving | 26 Sept | 30 Sept | Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Kōtō, Tokyo |
| Swimming | 20 Sept | 25 Sept | Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Kōtō, Tokyo |
| Water Polo | 20 Sept | 3 Oct | Rainbow Pool, Nippon Gaishi Hall, Nagoya |
| Archery | 25 Sept | 3 Oct | Multipurpose Square, Okazaki Central Park, Okazaki |
| Athletics | 23 Sept | 29 Sept | Paloma Mizuho Stadium (+ race walk course), Nagoya |
| Badminton | 20 Sept | 29 Sept | Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, Ichinomiya |
| Baseball | 21 Sept | 27 Sept | Okazaki Central Park / Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium |
| Softball | 26 Sept | 3 Oct | Anjō Sports Park, Anjō |
| Basketball (5×5) | 10 Sept | 26 Sept | Aichi International Arena, Nagoya |
| Basketball (3×3) | 21 Sept | 25 Sept | Kinjō-futō Station Square, Nagoya |
| Boxing | 22 Sept | 2 Oct | Nishio City General Gymnasium, Nishio |
| Breaking | 2 Oct | 3 Oct | Aichi International Exhibition Centre, Tokoname |
| Canoeing (Slalom) | 29 Sept | 2 Oct | Yahagigawa Canoe Slalom Course, Toyota |
| Canoeing (Sprint) | 23 Sept | 26 Sept | Miyoshi Lake, Miyoshi |
| Ju-jitsu | 1 Oct | 3 Oct | Aichi Budokan, Nagoya |
| Kurash | 27 Sept | 29 Sept | Aichi Budokan, Nagoya |
| Mixed Martial Arts | 20 Sept | 22 Sept | Inae Sports Centre, Nagoya |
| Cricket (T20) | 17 Sept | 3 Oct | Kōrogi Sports Park, Nisshin |
| Cycling (BMX Racing/Freestyle) | 24 Sept | 28 Sept | Nagoya Velodrome BMX Race Course / Aichi Intl Exhibition Centre |
| Cycling (Mountain Bike) | 24 Sept | 25 Sept | Obata Ryokuchi Urban Forest, Nagoya |
| Cycling (Road) | 20 Sept | 23 Sept | Shinshiro Cycling Road Course, Shinshiro |
| Cycling (Track) | 29 Sept | 2 Oct | Izu Velodrome, Izu, Shizuoka |
| Equestrian | 21 Sept | 4 Oct | Tokyo Equestrian Park, Setagaya, Tokyo |
| Esports | 23 Sept | 2 Oct | Aichi International Exhibition Center, Tokoname |
| Fencing | 22 Sept | 27 Sept | Aichi International Exhibition Center, Tokoname |
| Field Hockey | 18 Sept | 3 Oct | Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, Kakamigahara |
| Football (Soccer) | 14 Sept | 3 Oct | Toyota Stadium + venues across Nagoya, Kariya, Gifu, Osaka, Shizuoka |
| Golf | 30 Sept | 3 Oct | Kasugai Country Club, Kasugai |
| Gymnastics (Artistic) | 20 Sept | 24 Sept | Nippon Gaishi Hall (Rainbow Hall), Nagoya |
| Gymnastics (Rhythmic) | 1 Oct | 3 Oct | Nippon Gaishi Hall, Nagoya |
| Gymnastics (Trampoline) | 28 Sept | 28 Sept | Nippon Gaishi Hall, Nagoya |
| Handball | 18 Sept | 29 Sept | Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium / Kasugai City General Gymnasium |
| Judo | 30 Sept | 3 Oct | Aichi International Arena, Nagoya |
| Kabaddi | 21 Sept | 26 Sept | Tōkai Citizens Gymnasium, Tōkai |
| Karate | 20 Sept | 23 Sept | Toyohashi City General Gymnasium, Toyohashi |
| Modern Pentathlon | 16 Sept | 20 Sept | Anjō Sports Park, Anjō |
| Padel | 28 Sept | 3 Oct | Higashi Sports Center, Nagoya |
| Rowing | 20 Sept | 24 Sept | Nagaragawa International Regatta Course, Kaizu (Gifu) |
| Rugby Sevens | 1 Oct | 3 Oct | Rugby Stadium, Nagoya |
| Sailing | 26 Sept | 3 Oct | Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor, Gamagōri |
| Sepaktakraw | 20 Sept | 3 Oct | Arena, Nagoya |
| Shooting | 17 Sept | 3 Oct | Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range, Toyota |
| Skateboarding | 24 Sept | 27 Sept | Aichi International Exhibition Center, Tokoname |
| Sport Climbing | 29 Sept | 3 Oct | Nagoya International Exhibition Hall, Nagoya |
| Squash | 23 Sept | 2 Oct | Takeda Teva Ocean Arena, Nagoya |
| Surfing | 26 Sept | 29 Sept | Akabane Long Beach, Tahara |
| Table Tennis | 20 Sept | 28 Sept | Sky Hall Toyota, Toyota |
| Taekwondo | 1 Oct | 3 Oct | Toyohashi City General Gymnasium, Toyohashi |
| Virtual Taekwondo | 2 Oct | 2 Oct | Toyohashi City General Gymnasium, Toyohashi |
| Tennis | 27 Sept | 3 Oct | Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, Nagoya |
| Soft Tennis | 18 Sept | 23 Sept | Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, Nagoya |
| Teqball | 16 Sept | 20 Sept | Higashi Sports Center, Nagoya |
| Triathlon | 20 Sept | 21 Sept | Gamagōri City Triathlon Venue, Gamagōri |
| Volleyball (Beach) | 20 Sept | 3 Oct | Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court, Hekinan |
| Volleyball (Indoor) | 14 Sept | 3 Oct | Park Arena Komaki / Okazaki Central Park Gymnasium |
| Weightlifting | 23 Sept | 29 Sept | Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center, Nagoya |
| Wrestling | 30 Sept | 3 Oct | Inae Sports Center, Nagoya |
| Wushu | 20 Sept | 24 Sept | Aichi Budokan, Nagoya |
