Five little-known sports India will contest at Asian Games 2026
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with around 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports. India is sending 503 athletes. Its campaign includes Teqball, Kurash, Soft Tennis, Sepak Takraw and Sport Climbing. Teqball, added by the Olympic Council of Asia in March, debuts as a medal sport. India won two Kurash medals in 2018 and two Sepak Takraw bronzes.
Source
Times of India — Top · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- The 20th Asian Games will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, with about 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions across 43 sports. — Figures appear in source; no organising body cited directly.
- India will send 503 athletes; Teqball squad has three members and Soft Tennis six. — Numbers and athlete names listed in source; no federation attribution given.
- Teqball makes its Asian Games debut as a medal sport, added to the 2026 programme by the Olympic Council of Asia in March. — Attributed to the Olympic Council of Asia decision as stated in source.
- India won two Kurash medals at the 2018 Asian Games in women's 52kg — silver for Pincky Balhara, bronze for Malaprabha Jadhav. — Specific historical claim stated in source without external citation.
- Soft Tennis ball weighs 30-31 grams. — Attributed in source to the International Soft Tennis Federation.
Analysts’ view opinion
The Asian Games have always carried a wider sporting programme than the Olympics, and it is precisely in that breadth that India finds extra medal room. That a 503-strong Indian contingent at Aichi-Nagoya includes Teqball, Kurash, Soft Tennis, Sepak Takraw and Sport Climbing entries signals a deliberate widening of India's footprint beyond the mainstream disciplines. Two Kurash medals in 2018 and Sepak Takraw bronzes in two successive editions suggest these are not accidental results but the beginnings of a base.
- Kurash looks like India's clearest medal pathway here — a standing, throw-based format sits naturally with a country steeped in wrestling and judo, as the 2018 women's 52kg silver and bronze showed.
- Sepak Takraw's men's Team Regu bronze in 2018 and women's Regu bronze in 2022 point to steady progress, and fielding the men in both Team Regu and Quadrant widens the medal surface this time.
- Teqball's debut as a medal sport effectively resets the start line for everyone; India enters three athletes across doubles, mixed doubles and women's singles, though the competitive standard in a brand-new discipline is still an unknown.
- India has yet to win an Asian Games medal in Soft Tennis or Sport Climbing — Soft Tennis originated in Japan, where the host nation's depth is a hurdle, while speed climbing is decided by fractions of a second.
- These five sports may not swing India's overall medal tally dramatically, but they reflect a strategy of investing in regional and emerging disciplines for longer-term returns.
What to watch — Whether India can extend its Sepak Takraw run to a third straight edition and match its 2018 Kurash haul will be the clearest measure of whether this niche-sport strategy is working.
The story is an explainer on the sports and India's entries; it establishes nothing about current form, rankings, rival strength or realistic medal prospects.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with around 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions competing across 43 sports. India is sending a 503-athlete contingent. Beyond mainstream disciplines like cricket, hockey, athletics and badminton, India will also compete in five sports that remain largely unfamiliar to its mainstream audience: Teqball, Kurash, Soft Tennis, Sepak Takraw and Sport Climbing. The continental Games have traditionally made space for regionally rooted sports and newer disciplines seeking wider recognition, which distinguishes them from the Olympics.
Key facts
- The 20th Asian Games run from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with around 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions in 43 sports.
- India will be represented by 503 athletes across a wide range of disciplines.
- Teqball, developed in Hungary, makes its Asian Games debut as a medal sport; the Olympic Council of Asia added it to the 2026 programme in March.
- India's three Teqball entries are Mohamed Anas Imran Beg, Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Quimcy Dsouza, in men's doubles, mixed doubles and women's singles.
- India won two Kurash medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, both in women's 52kg: Pincky Balhara (silver) and Malaprabha Jadhav (bronze).
- Soft Tennis originated in Japan in the late 19th century, has been in the Asian Games since 1994, and uses an air-filled rubber ball weighing 30-31 grams per the International Soft Tennis Federation.
- Sepak Takraw has been in the Asian Games since 1990; India won a men's Team Regu bronze at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and a women's Regu bronze at Hangzhou 2022.
- Sport Climbing debuted at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 with three disciplines - Speed (15-metre wall), Boulder and Lead (wall more than 12 metres high); India is yet to win a medal in it.
Timeline
- Late 19th centurySoft Tennis originates in Japan and later spreads across Asia.
- 1990Sepak Takraw becomes part of the Asian Games programme.
- 1994Soft Tennis is included in the Asian Games programme.
- 2018 (Jakarta-Palembang)Sport Climbing debuts at the Asian Games; India wins two Kurash medals (women's 52kg) and a men's Team Regu bronze in Sepak Takraw.
- 2022 (Hangzhou)India wins a women's Regu bronze in Sepak Takraw.
- March (2025, as stated)Olympic Council of Asia adds Teqball to the 2026 Asian Games programme.
- September 19 - October 420th Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with 43 sports.
Who has a stake
- Indian contingent (503 athletes) — Medal prospects across both mainstream and lesser-known sports at Aichi-Nagoya.
- Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) — Decides the Games programme; added Teqball as a medal sport in March.
- India's Kurash squad — Vipin Kumar (-66kg), Vishal and Yash Kumar (+90kg), Bharti and Sangita Balhara (women's -57kg), Pincky Chauhan (women's -78kg) aim to build on 2018 medals.
- India's Soft Tennis squad — Yogesh Choudhary, Om Yadav, Jay Meena, Aniket Chirag Patel, Aryan Thakur and Aadhya Tiwari seek India's first Asian Games Soft Tennis medal.
- India's Sepak Takraw teams — Men's side competes in Team Regu and Quadrant events; both teams look to extend bronze medals from 2018 and 2022.
- India's Sport Climbing entries — Deepu Mallesh (men's speed) and Joga Purty (women's speed) chase India's first medal in the sport.
- Host Japan and 45 participating countries/regions — Staging and contesting 43 sports before around 11,000 athletes.
Why it matters
The Asian Games' programme of 43 sports shows how the continental event preserves regionally rooted disciplines such as Kurash and Sepak Takraw while giving new hybrid sports like Teqball a first medal stage. For India, medals in these events widen the base of its Olympic-movement participation beyond cricket, hockey and badminton, and reflect where fresh talent pipelines are emerging. Understanding these sports also explains why the Asian Games remain distinct from the Olympics.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- 20th Asian Games: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, September 19 - October 4; 43 sports, ~11,000 athletes, 45 countries and regions; India sends 503 athletes.
- Teqball: originated in Hungary; added by the Olympic Council of Asia in March; Asian Games debut as a medal sport in 2026.
- Kurash: Central Asian jacket wrestling associated with Uzbekistan; contest stays standing, no groundwork, no striking, choking or joint locks.
- Soft Tennis: originated in Japan in the late 19th century; in the Asian Games since 1994; ball weighs 30-31 g (International Soft Tennis Federation); numerical scoring instead of 15-30-40.
- Sepak Takraw: in the Asian Games since 1990; three-player 'regu'; badminton-sized court; no use of hands or arms; three touches per side.
- Sport Climbing: Asian Games debut 2018; disciplines are Speed (15 m wall), Boulder (no ropes) and Lead (wall over 12 m).
Mains framing
The Asian Games programme, unlike the Olympics, deliberately accommodates sports rooted in specific regions alongside emerging disciplines, and Aichi-Nagoya 2026's 43-sport line-up illustrates this: Teqball, a Hungarian hybrid of football and table tennis, debuts as a medal sport after the Olympic Council of Asia's decision in March, while Kurash, Sepak Takraw and Soft Tennis continue as established Asian disciplines. India's participation in these events with a 503-athlete contingent reflects both a widening sporting footprint and uneven depth: it has medalled in Kurash (silver and bronze in women's 52kg in 2018) and Sepak Takraw (bronze in 2018 and 2022), but has never won a medal in Soft Tennis or Sport Climbing despite competing in recent editions. The implication is that recognition, coaching and competition exposure in these low-visibility sports remain thin relative to cricket, hockey or badminton, even as the Games offer a realistic medal pathway. A way forward suggested by the record itself is to consolidate around events where India already has a foothold - notably Sepak Takraw's regu formats and Kurash's weight categories - while treating new entries like Teqball as long-term investments in early-mover advantage.
Key terms
- Teqball
- Sport played on a curved table where a football must be returned using any body part except hands and arms, with a maximum of three touches.
- Kurash
- Ancient Central Asian jacket-wrestling sport, linked to Uzbekistan, decided by clean throws with the contest staying on the feet.
- Sepak Takraw
- Volleyball-style net game on a badminton-sized court where three-player teams use feet, knees, chest and head, not hands or arms.
- Regu
- The three-player team unit in Sepak Takraw; India won men's Team Regu bronze in 2018 and women's Regu bronze in 2022.
- Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
- Body governing the Asian Games; it added Teqball to the 2026 programme in March.
- Sport Climbing disciplines
- Speed (side-by-side race up a 15 m wall), Boulder (short rope-free problems) and Lead (height reached on a wall over 12 m in set time).
Practice questions
- The Asian Games accommodate regionally rooted and emerging sports that the Olympics do not. Discuss with reference to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya programme and India's participation.
- India has won medals in Kurash and Sepak Takraw but none in Soft Tennis or Sport Climbing. What does this uneven record suggest about India's sporting development priorities?
- Explain the distinguishing rules and equipment of Kurash, Soft Tennis and Sepak Takraw, and assess why such sports struggle for audiences in India.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.