New Delhi: India’s star javelin thrower will compete in the , which will be played in September-October in Japan.
The development is confirmed by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee chairman Adille Sumariwalla on Saturday, June 27.
Chopra recovered from a lower back injury, which he sustained before the start of the Tokyo World Championships in September 2025. He made a late start to the season and finished fourth at the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 85.69m.
The two-time Olympic medallist has already confirmed participation in the Commonwealth Games. But his participation in the Asian Games was in doubt. The continental event will be played in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.
“Yes. He (Chopra) will participate both in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. He has qualified already and he is recovering. He has done 86m (85.69m) in his very first event, which is fantastic,” Sumariwalla told PTI in an exclusive interview.
Sumariwalla further added that Chopra has already won a gold medal with 88m in the 2022 Asian Games in China, and was already close to 86m; they see no reason why he will not do well in both the upcoming tournaments.
The AFI’s selection committee is expected to announce the Indian team for the Asian Games on Sunday, which is the last day of the ongoing National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Chopra won the gold medal in the last edition of the Asian Games in 2023 with a throw of 88.88m. He is expected to face tough competition from Sri Lanka’s star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who crossed the 90m mark earlier this year and won two Diamond League titles.
Reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan could also participate in the Asian Games 2026, making it more competitive. Nadeem is also the current Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champion. However, he withdrew from the Doha Diamond League on June 19 after the organisers initially announced his name.
The AFI has completely left it to Chopra whether he wants to compete in any tournament before the start of the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2.
“We have left it to him (about competition before CWG), we are saying his medical team, his coach, everyone will sit together and work out which are the best competitions he needs to compete,” said Sumariwalla, a former president of the AFI and currently a vice president of World Athletics.
India submit bids to host World Athletics Senior Championships in 2029 or 2031
India have also submitted bids to host the World Athletics Senior Championships in either 2029 or 2031. Sumariwalla has said that the decision on the host city will be taken in September. India have also placed a bid to host the 2028 World U20 Championships in Ahmedabad.
“We made bids to host both these championships in Ahmedabad. A team from World Athletics was there in Ahmedabad, along with the chair of the bid committee. They inspected the infrastructure, evaluated the transport, hotels, operations, weather, food, everything,” Sumariwalla said.
He further added that there is a very tough competition, as several cities that had previously hosted the World Championships and Olympic Games are also bidding, including London, Munich and Kenya.