CM Dhami Hails India's Kabaddi Gold at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami hailed India's men's kabaddi team after they won gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, calling the achievement 'a source of inspiration for the country's youth' and praising the team's coordination and self-belief.
Key Takeaways
India's men's kabaddi team won gold at the Asian Games 2026 held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami publicly congratulated the team on 26 September 2026 .
Dhami praised the team's 'brilliant gameplay, remarkable coordination, and unshakeable self-belief.' India has a historic run of kabaddi gold medals at the Asian Games, including the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions.
Dhami called the achievement 'a source of inspiration for the country's youth.'
India's indigenous sport wrote gold in Japan — and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was among the first to salute the men's kabaddi team on Saturday, 26 September 2026, after the squad clinched the top medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.
Dhami posted his congratulations in Hindi, writing: 'शानदार खेल, अद्भुत तालमेल एवं अटूट आत्मविश्वास' — 'brilliant gameplay, remarkable coordination, and unshakeable self-belief' — adding that the players had 'raised the glory of the Tricolour.' He described the gold as 'a source of inspiration for the country's youth.'
Kabaddi's unbroken Asian gold run
The win extends one of Asian Games sport's most consistent dynasties. India's men's kabaddi team has claimed gold across multiple editions of the continental tournament, cementing the country's identity as the sport's global powerhouse. At the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the squad defended its title convincingly; the 2022 Hangzhou edition continued that lineage. The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 triumph keeps that chain unbroken.
Kabaddi occupies a unique cultural lane in Indian sport — indigenous in origin, requiring no equipment, and instantly recognisable across villages and cities alike. That makes gold in it feel different from medals in imported disciplines. It lands as national pride and cultural vindication at once.
Why leaders queue to congratulate the kabaddi team
State chief ministers and central ministers routinely use major sporting moments to project national sentiment — and kabaddi sits at the top of that symbolic hierarchy. For a BJP leader like Dhami, whose party has consistently foregrounded the celebration of indigenous Indian culture and sport, a kabaddi gold is as much a cultural moment as an athletic one. The hashtag #Cheer4Bharat in his post signals alignment with a broader ecosystem of sporting nationalism that has grown steadily across social media during multi-sport Games.
The gold also feeds into India's wider ambition to improve its footprint at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where kabaddi is not yet on the programme — a reminder that continental dominance and global recognition remain two separate conversations the sport still needs to resolve.
For now, though, the team has its gold. And an entire nation — from the Chief Minister's office in Dehradun to a village raiding ground in UP — is cheering.
Point of View
And political leaders across party lines have learned to treat it as a moment of consensus national pride. For CM Dhami, the congratulatory post does double duty — affirming sporting achievement while reinforcing the BJP's long-standing cultural messaging around indigenous games and national identity. The framing of athletes as inspirations for youth also plugs directly into the government's broader sports-promotion push ahead of the 2028 Olympic cycle, even as kabaddi itself remains absent from the Olympic programme — a tension that the sport's administrators have yet to resolve on the world stage.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Did India win gold in kabaddi at the Asian Games 2026?
Yes, India's men's kabaddi team won gold at the Asian Games 2026 held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as confirmed by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami's congratulatory post on 26 September 2026.
Where are the Asian Games 2026 being held?
The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
What did Uttarakhand CM Dhami say about the kabaddi gold?
CM Dhami praised the team's 'brilliant gameplay, remarkable coordination, and unshakeable self-belief,' calling the gold 'a source of inspiration for the country's youth.'
Has India won kabaddi gold at previous Asian Games?
Yes, India has a historic winning streak in men's kabaddi at the Asian Games, including gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions.
Is kabaddi part of the Olympics?
No, kabaddi is not currently part of the Olympic programme. India dominates the sport at the Asian Games level, but it has not yet secured a place on the Olympic roster.
