India will send a 275-member contingent to the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which gets underway on 18 October. This includes 166 athletes across 10 sporting disciplines.
The fifth edition of the Asian Para Games will go on till 24 October.
India enjoyed an excellent run at the postponed 2022 Asian Para Games, winning 111 medals in Hangzhou, China, in October 2023, recording its best-ever performance at the continental multi-sport event at the time.
The Indian contingent finished fifth in the overall medal standings, securing 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze medals.
The fourth edition of the Asian Para Games was held from 22 to 28 October 2023. India’s 111-medal haul surpassed its previous best of 72 medals, achieved at the 2018 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia. The country had won 33 medals in 2014 and 14 in 2010.
The performance in Hangzhou was spread across several disciplines, with athletics accounting for nearly half of India’s total medals. Badminton, archery, chess and shooting also contributed to the campaign.
India finished behind China, Iran, Japan and South Korea in the final standings of the 2022 Asian Para Games.
Hosts China topped the table with 521 medals, including 214 gold, while Iran secured second place with 131 medals. Japan finished third with 150 medals, followed by South Korea with 103.
Athletics leads India’s medal haul
Athletics was India’s most successful discipline in Hangzhou, producing 55 medals – 18 gold, 17 silver and 20 bronze. Badminton followed with 21 medals, including four gold, four silver and 13 bronze. Chess contributed eight medals, while archery accounted for seven and shooting added six.
India’s athletics campaign featured several record-breaking performances. Sumit Antil won gold in the men’s javelin throw F64 event with a world-record effort of 73.29 metres. Sundar Singh Gurjar also set a world record in the men’s F46 javelin throw, registering 68.60 metres. India’s men’s compound archery team established another world record with a score of 158.
Avani Lekhara won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, setting a Games record with 249.6 points in the final. Other athletics gold medallists included high jumper Nishad Kumar, who cleared 2.02 metres in the men’s T47 event, and Deepthi Jeevanji, who won the women’s 400m T20 race.
Sheetal Devi, Pramod Bhagat among other gold medallists
Para archer Sheetal Devi won two gold medals in Hangzhou. She claimed the women’s individual compound title and partnered Rakesh Kumar to win the mixed team compound event. The Indian pair defeated China 151-149 in the final. Sheetal also became one of the prominent Indian performers in a campaign that saw the country win seven medals in archery.
Badminton produced 21 medals, with Pramod Bhagat winning the men’s singles SL3 gold after defeating compatriot Nitesh Kumar 22-20, 21-19 in the final. Suhas Yathiraj won gold in the men’s singles SL4 event, while Thulasimathi Murugesan claimed the women’s singles SU5 title. India also secured gold medals in the men’s doubles SL3-SL4 and women’s doubles SU5 categories.
Canoeist Prachi Yadav won gold in the women’s canoe KL2 event after beginning her campaign with silver in the VL2 category. Shooting, chess and other disciplines added to India’s overall medal count. The chess contingent finished with eight medals, including two gold, while Indian shooters secured six medals.