Shekhawat hails India's 9th kabaddi gold at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
India's men's kabaddi team defeated Iran to win a historic ninth Asian Games gold and back-to-back titles at the 2026 Games in Japan. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat hailed the achievement, calling the dynasty 'intact.'
Key Takeaways
India's men's kabaddi team won gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, defeating Iran in the final.
This is India's ninth gold medal in men's kabaddi at the Asian Games — a historic landmark in the sport.
The win makes it back-to-back Asian Games golds for India, following the 2018 title in Jakarta.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat described the victory as historic and said India's 'supremacy remains intact.' Kabaddi has been an Asian Games discipline since 1990 , with India dominant across nearly every edition.
The Pro Kabaddi League is widely credited with deepening India's talent pipeline and sustaining continental dominance.
India's men's kabaddi team walked off the mat in Japan as champions once again — defeating Iran to clinch a historic ninth Asian Games gold medal in the sport and making it back-to-back titles for the side. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was among the first to salute the feat, calling the victory one that 'will be remembered.'
Posting on Saturday, 26 September 2026, Minister Shekhawat wrote — 'एशियाई खेलों में लगातार दूसरी बार स्वर्ण पदक जीतकर भारतीय पुरुष कबड्डी टीम ने बता दिया कि बादशाहत बरकरार है' — ('By winning gold for the second consecutive time at the Asian Games, the Indian men's kabaddi team has proven that the throne remains theirs.') He described the win against Iran as a 'splendid golden victory' and called India's ninth kabaddi gold a 'historic achievement.'
A dynasty nine golds deep
Kabaddi has been part of the Asian Games since 1990, and India has dominated the men's event virtually from the moment the first raider crossed a baulk line. The team claimed its eighth gold at Jakarta in 2018, setting the stage for this latest triumph. No other nation has matched that consistency across the tournament's history.
Iran has long been India's most persistent challenger — a fierce rival in finals and semi-finals across multiple editions. Defeating them, again, underlines just how wide the gap between Indian kabaddi and the rest of the continent remains, even as competition intensifies.
Pro Kabaddi and the pipeline behind the podium
Behind the gold medals lies a structural story. The Pro Kabaddi League, now over a decade old, has industrialised the development of Indian kabaddi talent — creating a high-intensity domestic circuit that keeps players match-sharp year-round and turns regional stars into household names. Coaches, scouts, and sports scientists who cut their teeth in the league feed directly into the national programme. The results on the continental stage are, in many ways, the PKL's proof of concept.
India's broader push to elevate indigenous games — of which kabaddi is the most prominent — has found consistent political backing across successive governments. A gold at the Asian Games is never just a medal; it is the loudest possible advertisement for a sport that is distinctly, irreducibly Indian.
Point of View
Amplified by ministers like Shekhawat, frames these victories as cultural assertions as much as athletic ones. For the BJP, a win over Iran carries a double resonance: sporting supremacy and soft-power symbolism. The real test will be whether investment and visibility translate beyond kabaddi into other indigenous disciplines that remain below the radar.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times has India won gold in kabaddi at the Asian Games?
India has now won nine gold medals in men's kabaddi at the Asian Games, the most of any nation since the sport's introduction at the 1990 Games.
Who did India beat in the 2026 Asian Games kabaddi final?
India defeated Iran in the men's kabaddi final at the 2026 Asian Games to claim the gold medal.
What did Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat say about the kabaddi gold?
Shekhawat said India's victory proved 'the throne remains theirs,' called the win over Iran 'splendid,' and described the ninth gold as a 'historic achievement.'
When did kabaddi become part of the Asian Games?
Kabaddi was introduced as a medal sport at the Asian Games in 1990 , and India has dominated the men's competition across almost every edition since.
How has Pro Kabaddi League helped India at the Asian Games?
The Pro Kabaddi League has created a high-intensity domestic circuit that keeps national-level players match-ready year-round, widely credited with sustaining India's edge in continental competition.
