India's Asian Games contingent expands to 768 as Sports Ministry adds 11 athletes
Synopsis
India's Asian Games squad has grown to 768 members, but the headline is an absence: Neeraj Chopra, a two-time Olympic medallist and back-to-back Asiad javelin champion, is out due to injury. With surfing and MMA making their Games debut and a doping controversy also surfacing, this is a squad shaped as much by setbacks as by selections.
Key Takeaways
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports added 11 athletes on 3 September , expanding India's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games contingent to 768 members .
India will field 503 athletes ( 269 male , 234 female ) across 36 disciplines .
Surfing and MMA make their Asian Games debut ; four Indian surfers — Kishore Kumar , Sivaraj , Kamali , and Sugar Shanti — will compete.
Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out due to injury; replaced by Yashvir Singh .
The 77-member athletics squad includes 15 returning Asian Games champions and medallists , with Avinash Sable , Tajinderpal Singh Toor , Parul Chaudhary , and Annu Rani defending titles.
Abhishek Pal dropped after NADA notice; Tejas Shirse omitted due to injury.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Thursday, 3 September added 11 more athletes to India's roster for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, taking the total Indian contingent to 768 members, including 503 athletes — 269 male and 234 female. The expanded squad will compete across 36 disciplines at the continental showpiece.
New Additions and Debut Sports
The latest additions span three disciplines: athletics, mixed martial arts (MMA), and surfing. Notably, both surfing and MMA are making their Asian Games debut at this edition. Four athletes — Kishore Kumar, Sivaraj, Kamali, and Sugar Shanti — will carry India's colours in surfing for the first time at the Games.
In athletics, six names were added to the list: Praveen Kumar, Harita Bhadra, Kiran Pahal, Asha Ilango, Sindhushree Ganesha, and Sanya Yadav. Varun Sanyal has been named India's representative in mixed martial arts. The contingent also includes 246 team officials and support staff and 19 contingent staff.
Neeraj Chopra Out, Yashvir Singh Steps In
In a significant development, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out of the season due to injury and will not defend his Asian Games titles — won at Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2023. He has been replaced by Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yashvir Singh. Rohit Yadav is the other Indian selected for the men's javelin throw event.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) finalised a 77-member athletics squad for the Games, which includes 15 returning Asian Games champions and medallists. Among those defending titles from Hangzhou 2023 are Avinash Sable, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Parul Chaudhary, and Annu Rani.
Omissions and Controversies
Men's 110m hurdler Tejas Shirse, who had initially been selected despite sustaining two stress fractures in his left foot during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has been dropped from the squad. Abhishek Pal has also been excluded after being served a notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) over an apparent doping violation.
Cricket Coaching Staff Confirmed
The Ministry also confirmed the coaching structure for the cricket events. The head of the Centre of Excellence will serve as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, with Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh joining the setup alongside VVS Laxman. Amol Muzumdar will lead the women's team's coaching staff, supported by Aavishkar Salvi as bowling coach and Munish Bali as fielding coach.
With the squad now finalised, India heads into the Aichi-Nagoya Games as one of the larger delegations at the event, with expectations running high across multiple disciplines — particularly in athletics, where four defending champions are primed to compete.
Point of View
But the Neeraj Chopra absence is the story within the story. Chopra has been India's most bankable medal prospect at the last two Asiads, and his injury leaves a visible gap in the athletics programme. The doping exclusion of Abhishek Pal also raises a question that Indian sport has not adequately answered: how robust are pre-Games anti-doping screenings if athletes arrive at selection with pending NADA notices? The debut of surfing and MMA signals a welcome broadening of India's competitive footprint, but the medal calculus at Aichi-Nagoya will hinge on how the defending champions in track and field perform without their most decorated colleague on the start list.
NationPress
3 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many athletes is India sending to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games?
India's total contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games stands at 768 members, including 503 athletes — 269 male and 234 female — competing across 36 disciplines, along with 246 support staff and 19 contingent staff.
Why has Neeraj Chopra been dropped from the Asian Games squad?
Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out of the season due to injury and will not defend his Asian Games javelin titles from Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2023. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yashvir Singh has been named as his replacement.
Which new sports are making their Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya?
Both surfing and mixed martial arts (MMA) are making their Asian Games debut at this edition. India will be represented by four surfers — Kishore Kumar, Sivaraj, Kamali, and Sugar Shanti — and Varun Sanyal in MMA.
Who are India's defending Asian Games champions in athletics?
Four individual champions from the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games remain in the squad: Avinash Sable, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Parul Chaudhary, and Annu Rani. The broader athletics contingent includes 15 returning Asian Games champions and medallists.
Why was Abhishek Pal dropped from the Indian athletics squad?
Abhishek Pal was excluded from the squad after being served a notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) over an apparent doping violation. Hurdler Tejas Shirse was separately omitted due to stress fractures sustained at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
