Asian Games 2026 Sports List includes 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 medal events. The 20th edition of the Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. More than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions are expected to participate.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will feature several traditional Asian sports such as kabaddi, wushu, kurash and sepaktakraw, along with major Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, badminton and boxing. New sports and disciplines, including padel, teqball, surfing, BMX freestyle and mixed martial arts (MMA), will also feature in the programme.
Asian Games 2026 Sports List
The following table provides the complete list of 43 sports, their disciplines, medal events, competition dates and India’s participation at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
| Asian Games 2026 Sports List | ||||
|
Sport |
Disciplines |
Medal Events |
Competition Dates |
India |
|
Aquatics |
Swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo |
55 |
September 20-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Archery |
Recurve, compound |
10 |
September 26-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Athletics |
1 |
50 |
September 23-29 |
Yes |
|
Badminton |
1 |
7 |
September 20-29 |
Yes |
|
Baseball/Softball |
Baseball, softball |
2 |
September 21-October 3 |
No |
|
Basketball |
Basketball, 3×3 basketball |
4 |
September 10-26 |
No |
|
Boxing |
1 |
11 |
September 21-October 2 |
Yes |
|
Breaking |
1 |
2 |
October 2-3 |
No |
|
Canoe/Kayak |
Canoe sprint, canoe slalom |
18 |
September 23-October 2 |
Yes |
|
Combat Sports |
Jiu-jitsu, kurash, mixed martial arts |
20 |
September 20-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Cricket |
T20 |
2 |
September 17-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Cycling |
Track, road, mountain bike, BMX racing, BMX freestyle |
22 |
September 20-October 2 |
Yes |
|
Equestrian |
Dressage, eventing, jumping |
7 |
September 21-October 4 |
Yes |
|
Esports |
1 |
11 |
September 23-October 2 |
Yes |
|
Fencing |
Foil, épée, sabre |
12 |
September 22-27 |
Yes |
|
Football |
1 |
2 |
September 14-October 3 |
No |
|
Golf |
1 |
4 |
September 30-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Gymnastics |
Artistic, rhythmic, trampoline |
18 |
September 21-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Handball |
1 |
2 |
September 20-29 |
No |
|
Hockey |
1 |
2 |
September 18-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Judo |
1 |
15 |
September 30-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Kabaddi |
1 |
2 |
September 21-26 |
Yes |
|
Karate |
Kata, kumite |
15 |
September 20-23 |
Yes |
|
Modern Pentathlon |
1 |
4 |
September 16-20 |
No |
|
Padel |
1 |
2 |
September 28-October 3 |
No |
|
Rowing |
1 |
14 |
September 20-24 |
Yes |
|
Rugby |
Rugby sevens |
2 |
October 1-3 |
Yes |
|
Sailing |
1 |
14 |
September 26-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Sepaktakraw |
1 |
6 |
September 20-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Shooting |
Rifle, pistol, shotgun |
28 |
September 20-October 1 |
Yes |
|
Skateboarding |
1 |
4 |
September 24-27 |
No |
|
Sport Climbing |
1 |
6 |
September 29-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Squash |
1 |
5 |
September 23-October 2 |
Yes |
|
Surfing |
1 |
2 |
September 25-28 |
Yes |
|
Table Tennis |
1 |
7 |
September 20-28 |
Yes |
|
Taekwondo |
Kyorugi, poomsae, virtual taekwondo |
11 |
October 1-3 |
Yes |
|
Tennis |
Tennis, soft tennis |
10 |
September 18-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Teqball |
1 |
5 |
September 17-20 |
Yes |
|
Triathlon |
1 |
3 |
September 20-21 |
No |
|
Volleyball |
Volleyball, beach volleyball |
4 |
September 16-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Weightlifting |
1 |
16 |
September 23-29 |
Yes |
|
Wrestling |
Freestyle, Greco-Roman |
18 |
September 30-October 3 |
Yes |
|
Wushu |
Taolu, sanda |
15 |
September 20-24 |
Yes |
|
Total |
71 |
469 |
September 10-October 4 |
34/43 |
How Many Sports Are There in Asian Games 2026?
Asian Games 2026 will have 43 sports, divided into 71 disciplines, with a total of 469 medal events. Sporting competitions will begin on September 10, while the official opening ceremony on September 19, 2026.
The programme includes both internationally popular sports and sports that have a strong Asian connection. Some important examples are athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cricket, shooting, wrestling, kabaddi, wushu and sepaktakraw.
New Sports and Disciplines in Asian Games 2026
Asian Games 2026 programme introduces several new sports and disciplines, adding emerging competitions alongside traditional and Olympic sports.
- Padel: Added to the Asian Games programme for the first time in 2026.
- Teqball: Makes its Asian Games debut and has 5 medal events.
- Surfing: Makes its debut with men’s and women’s shortboard events.
- BMX Freestyle: Introduced as a new cycling discipline, featuring men’s and women’s park competitions.
- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): Makes its Asian Games debut as a combat sports discipline alongside jiu-jitsu and kurash.
- Virtual Taekwondo: Included for the first time with one mixed individual medal event.
- Esports: Retained after making its official Asian Games debut at Hangzhou 2023, with the number of medal events increasing to 11.
Why Will India Not Participate in Football?
The Indian football teams will not participate in the Asian Games 2026 despite football being included in the overall sports programme.
According to the source, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ selection criteria generally require teams to finish in the top eight at the latest Asian Championships or rank among the top eight Asian countries for consideration.
The Indian men’s and women’s football teams did not meet this top-eight performance benchmark, resulting in their non-participation at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Also Read:- Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally
Cricket at Asian Games 2026
Cricket will be played in the T20 format at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
There will be two medal events:
- Men’s T20 cricket
- Women’s T20 cricket
India will participate in cricket and is set to defend its men’s and women’s T20 gold medals from Hangzhou 2023.
The source identifies Aichi-Nagoya 2026 as the third Asian Games hosted by Japan, after Tokyo 1958 and Hiroshima 1994.
Asian Games 2026: Sports with the Most Medal Events
Some sports account for a large share of the 469 medal events. Aquatics has the highest number of medal events with 55, followed by athletics with 50. Shooting has 28 medal events and cycling has 22.
|
Sport |
Medal Events |
|
Aquatics |
55 |
|
Athletics |
50 |
|
Shooting |
28 |
|
Cycling |
22 |
|
Combat Sports |
20 |
|
Canoe/Kayak |
18 |
|
Gymnastics |
18 |
|
Wrestling |
18 |
|
Weightlifting |
16 |
|
Judo |
15 |
|
Karate |
15 |
|
Wushu |
15 |
Which Sports Will India Not Participate in at Asian Games 2026?
India will not participate in nine sports at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026:
- Baseball/Softball
- Basketball
- Breaking
- Football
- Handball
- Modern Pentathlon
- Padel
- Skateboarding
- Triathlon
Thus, although the Asian Games programme contains 43 sports, India’s participation is limited to 34 sports.
Also Read:- Asian Games 2026 Indian Cricket Team
Kabaddi at Asian Games 2026
Kabaddi is another important sport for India at the Asian Games.
The programme has two medal events, and India is set to defend both the men’s and women’s kabaddi titles won previously.
Shooting at Asian Games 2026
Shooting will have 28 medal events at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, making it one of the major medal-event sports.
The shooting programme includes:
- Rifle
- Pistol
- Shotgun
Around 30 Indian shooters are expected to compete in the event. Shooting contributed 22 medals, including seven gold medals, to India’s tally at Hangzhou 2023.
Athletics at Asian Games 2026
Athletics will have 50 medal events, making it the second-largest sport by number of medal events after aquatics.
For India, athletics is particularly important because it is expected to have the country’s largest contingent, with more than 70 athletes competing.
At Hangzhou 2023, athletics was India’s most successful sport by medal count, producing 29 medals, including six gold medals.
Also Read:- India’s medals at Asian Games 2026
Changes from Hangzhou Asian Games 2023
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 programme is different from the programme used at Hangzhou 2023.
|
Feature |
Hangzhou 2023 |
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 |
|
Sports |
40 |
43 |
|
Disciplines |
61 |
71 |
|
Medal Events |
481 |
469 |
Aichi-Nagoya will therefore have more sports and disciplines, but 12 fewer medal events than Hangzhou 2023.
Sports Removed or Changed
Bridge, chess and dragon boat, which had previously featured as sports, are not included in the Aichi-Nagoya programme.
Skateboarding, which was grouped under roller sports at Hangzhou, is listed as a standalone sport at Aichi-Nagoya.
Roller sports is no longer listed as a sport, while roller skating has been dropped. Skateboarding, however, has been retained separately.
Marathon swimming, which was previously an aquatics discipline, is also absent from the 2026 programme.
Important Facts About Asian Games 2026 Sports List
For quick revision, the following facts are important:
- Host: Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
- Edition: 20th Asian Games
- Dates: September 19 to October 4, 2026
- Sports: 43
- Disciplines: 71
- Medal Events: 469
- Expected athletes: More than 11,000
- Participating countries and regions: 45
- India’s sports participation: 34
- New sports: Padel and teqball
- New Asian Games disciplines: Surfing, BMX freestyle, MMA and virtual taekwondo
- Cricket format: T20
- Aquatics medal events: 55
- Athletics medal events: 50
- Shooting medal events: 28
- Cycling medal events: 22
- India’s non-participation: 9 sports
- Previous edition: Hangzhou 2023
Last updated on Sep, 2026
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Asian Games 2026 Sports List FAQs
Q1. How many sports are there in Asian Games 2026?+
Q2. How many sports will India participate in at Asian Games 2026?+
Q3. Which new sports are included in Asian Games 2026?+
Q4. How many medal events are there in Asian Games 2026?+
Q5. Which sport has the highest number of medal events in Asian Games 2026?+
Q6. Will India participate in football at Asian Games 2026?+
Q7. Will cricket be played at Asian Games 2026?+
Q8. Which sports are not included in India's Asian Games 2026 participation?+
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