Gujarat sends record 9 athletes to 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya
Synopsis
Gujarat is sending nine athletes to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya — its biggest-ever contingent and three times what it fielded in 2014. Spanning six disciplines from shooting to sprinting, the squad signals a deliberate shift in how India's most industrially dominant state is now investing in sport.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat will send a record nine athletes and one reserve to the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
The contingent is three times larger than Gujarat's 2014 Asian Games representation of just three athletes.
Selected athletes include shooter Elavenil Valarivan , table tennis trio Harmeet Desai , Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah , tennis players Ankita Raina and Vaidehi Chaudhari , swimmer Aryan Nehra , sprinter Devyani Zala , and soft tennis player Aniket Patel .
Jil Desai (tennis) has been named as the reserve player.
The 20th Asian Games runs from 19 September to 4 October 2026 .
Gujarat is also reportedly preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games , with infrastructure development underway.
Gujarat will field its largest-ever contingent at the Asian Games, with nine athletes and one reserve selected to represent India at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, scheduled from 19 September to 4 October 2026. The selection marks a threefold jump from the 2014 Asian Games, when just three Gujarat athletes made the national squad.
The Gujarat Contingent
The nine athletes span six disciplines, underscoring the state's broadening sporting footprint. Shooter Elavenil Valarivan; table tennis players Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, and Manush Shah; soft tennis player Aniket Patel; swimmer Aryan Nehra; tennis players Ankita Raina and Vaidehi Chaudhari; and sprinter Devyani Zala have all earned selection. Tennis player Jil Desai has been named as the reserve.
What State Officials Said
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi attributed the rise in representation to sustained long-term investment in grassroots sports development. 'To ensure that athletes from Gujarat develop their talent at the international level, the then Chief Minister and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented initiatives ranging from Khel Mahakumbh to the Shaktidoot Yojana. The results of those efforts are now visible. Gujarat is emerging as a global powerhouse in sports,' Sanghavi said.
He further noted that the state government, under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, is focused on building a comprehensive sporting ecosystem. 'We are not only training athletes but also creating an entire ecosystem that enables them to bring glory to the nation at the international level,' he added.
Beyond Cricket: A Widening Sporting Base
State officials highlighted that the selected athletes represent disciplines — shooting, table tennis, lawn tennis, soft tennis, swimming, and athletics — that lie well outside Gujarat's traditional association with cricket. This diversification, they said, reflects a deliberate policy push over the past decade to develop competitive sportspersons across multiple codes.
According to the state government, Gujarat's participation in major multi-sport events including the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games has grown steadily over the past ten years. This comes amid Gujarat's stated ambition to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with Sanghavi indicating that world-class sports infrastructure development is progressing rapidly.
About the 20th Asian Games
The 20th Asian Games will be held across Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026, bringing together athletes from across the continent in one of Asia's largest multi-sport competitions. India has historically been among the top-ten medal-winning nations at the Games, and the expanded Gujarat contingent is expected to contribute across several medal events.
Point of View
But the more telling story is the disciplinary spread — six codes, none of them cricket. Gujarat's sports policy has historically ridden cricket's coattails; this contingent suggests the Khel Mahakumbh and Shaktidoot frameworks are producing measurable output in non-traditional disciplines. The 2030 Commonwealth Games hosting bid adds political urgency to that investment. What remains to be scrutinised is whether medal outcomes match the scale of participation — larger contingents are a start, but podium finishes are the true accountability test.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many athletes from Gujarat are going to the 2026 Asian Games?
Gujarat has selected nine athletes and one reserve player for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, making it the state's largest-ever contingent at the Games.
Who are the Gujarat athletes selected for the 2026 Asian Games?
The nine selected athletes are shooter Elavenil Valarivan, table tennis players Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, soft tennis player Aniket Patel, swimmer Aryan Nehra, tennis players Ankita Raina and Vaidehi Chaudhari, and sprinter Devyani Zala. Jil Desai (tennis) is the reserve.
When and where are the 2026 Asian Games being held?
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026.
How does Gujarat's 2026 contingent compare to previous Asian Games?
Gujarat sent only three athletes to the 2014 Asian Games. The 2026 contingent of nine athletes represents a threefold increase, reflecting the state's growing investment in sports development over the past decade.
What sports schemes has Gujarat used to develop its athletes?
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi credited initiatives such as Khel Mahakumbh and the Shaktidoot Yojana, originally implemented under then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, for building the talent pipeline now visible at the international level.
