Nagoya, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and two-time Asian Games shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor have been named India’s flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, scheduled to be held on Saturday.
The opening ceremony will take place at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. IST. More than 500 Indian athletes are set to compete across 37 sports at the 20th edition of the continental showpiece, which will conclude on October 4.
Bhaker made history at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first Indian athlete in the post-Independence era to win two medals at a single edition of the Games. She claimed bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event. She was also part of India’s gold medal-winning women’s 25m pistol team at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Toor enters the Aichi-Nagoya Games as the defending Asian Games champion in men’s shot put, having won gold in the event at the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions.
The Asian Games are held every four years under the Olympic Council of Asia. The Aichi-Nagoya edition will bring together athletes from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports. Japan is hosting the continental Games for the third time, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
India will look to improve on its record performance at Hangzhou 2023, where the contingent won 107 medals, including 28 gold.
India are the defending champions in both men’s and women’s cricket and kabaddi, while the men’s hockey team also enters the tournament as reigning champions.
PV Sindhu will lead India’s badminton challenge, while Mirabai Chanu will spearhead the weightlifting contingent. Bhaker will be among the country’s leading shooting contenders, with Aman Sehrawat representing India in wrestling and Lovlina Borgohain leading the boxing campaign.
More than 75 Indian athletes are expected to compete in athletics, with Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary among the leading names.
The Games will also carry significance beyond medals, with Olympic qualification quotas available in archery, sailing, squash, surfing and tennis.
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