India at the 2026 Asian Para Games
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India at the 2026 Asian Para Games

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The gist

India's para athletes won 62 medals, including 14 golds, by the end of day three in Nagoya.
The team is chasing its best-ever haul of 109 medals from Hangzhou 2023.

Background

The 2026 Asian Para Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, running until October 24 with around 3,000 athletes from 45 countries across 19 sports and 489 medal events. India sent a 281-member delegation, including 168 athletes (112 men and 56 women) competing in 11 sports — down from 309 competitors at Hangzhou 2023, with the build-up marred by selection controversies. The Paralympic Committee of India is the body behind the contingent, which aims to better its best-ever 109-medal haul (27 gold) from Hangzhou.

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 18, 2026India's contingent marched at the opening ceremony in Nagoya in ceremonial blazers designed around motifs from 5,000 years of civilisation, led by Paralympic medallists sprinter Simran Sharma and badminton player Pramod Bhagat.
  2. Oct 19, 2026India won 11 medals on the opening day — four golds, five silvers and two bronzes — with Nishad Kumar, Mona Agarwal, Soumya and Rinku leading the charge and Sheetal Devi setting records in para archery.
  3. Oct 20, 2026Deepthi Jeevanji set a Games record in the women's 400m T20 in 56.20 seconds for India's fifth gold, and India added 24 medals to end day two sixth with 35 medals.
  4. Oct 21, 2026At the end of day three India were fifth with 62 medals — 14 gold, 21 silver and 27 bronze — with 13 of the 14 golds coming from para-athletics.

Who’s saying what

Official
The Paralympic Committee of India said the contingent's ceremonial blazer was a tribute to the country's heritage, saying the team "walked out wearing more than just ceremonial dress -- they wore 5,000 years of civilisation."

Sources

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