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India sends 168 athletes across 11 disciplines to the Aichi-Nagoya Para Asian Games, targeting a medal tally better than its record 111 in Hangzhou.
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Sheetal Devi, Pramod Bhagat and boccia player Sachin Chamaria lead India’s medal hopes.
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Chamaria enters the Games after winning silver and bronze at the 2026 Cairo World Boccia Challenger.
With the Asian Games over, a 168-member Indian contingent, comprising 112 men and 56 women, is ready for the Aichi-Nagoya Para Asian Games in Japan, beginning today, 16 October. The onus will be on decorated shuttler Pramod Bhagat, archer Sheetal Devi and boccia player Sachin Chamaria, among others, to better India’s record haul of 111 medals from Hangzhou in 2023.
Sheetal, the armless para archer, was one of India’s standout performers three years ago, winning multiple gold medals as the country finished fifth with 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze medals. Javelin throwers Sumit Antil (F64: 73.29m) and Sundar Singh Gurjar (F46: 68.60m) also set world records.
Indian para badminton and para table tennis players, along with the men’s blind football team, began their campaigns ahead of the opening ceremony. Pramod Bhagat and para table tennis star Bhavina Patel are India’s flagbearers.
Of the athletes in the contingent, 47 are part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), 33 are Khelo India athletes (KIAs) and 61 are making their debuts. The Union sports ministry will hope India’s para athletes can surpass the performance of their able-bodied counterparts at the Asian Games.
An outlay of Rs 80.22 crore was provided under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC), while Rs 18.34 crore was invested through TOPS.
Sachin Chamaria: Leading Indian challenge in boccia .
India will compete in 11 disciplines: para athletics, para archery, para badminton, para table tennis, boccia, blind football, para cycling, blind judo, para powerlifting, para shooting and para swimming.
Chamaria, 35, made the cut after the ministry recently approved a two-member boccia squad. Speaking to National Herald, he said, “I am grateful to the sports ministry and everyone who has made it possible for me to represent India at the Para Asian Games. Wearing the India jersey is a responsibility I value deeply, and I will give my best in both events. I hope this opportunity brings greater recognition to boccia and encourages more athletes with disabilities to take up sport.”
Chamaria made a strong case for selection earlier this year, winning silver in the BC3 pairs event alongside Sarita Dwivedi and bronze in the BC3 individual event at the World Boccia Challenger in Cairo. He had also won gold at the World Boccia Challenger in Bahrain in 2024, becoming the first Indian male BC3 athlete to win an international gold in the sport.
Ranked among the world’s leading boccia players, Chamaria has the highest world ranking among Indian boccia players, according to the figures cited in the report. His achievements have earned him the PCI Inspirational Sportsperson of the Year award in 2023 and the Indian Achiever’s Award in 2024.
A severe spinal cord injury in 2008 left Chamaria paralysed in all four limbs, changing the course of his life. He discovered boccia in 2021, finding a way back into competitive sport and a new goal to pursue.
Since then, Chamaria has become a six-time consecutive national gold medallist and has worked to raise awareness of the opportunities sport can create for people with disabilities.