India is aiming to surpass the 100-medal milestone once again at the upcoming 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, building on a significant performance at the previous edition. At the 2023 Games in Hangzhou, China, India secured 107 medals, a notable increase from 70 medals in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, marking the first time any nation outside China, Japan, and South Korea had crossed the triple-digit threshold.
The Indian contingent views the Asian Games as a key stepping stone toward its broader aspiration of becoming the fourth Asian country to host the Summer Olympics by 2036. “Our target is 2036 – by the time we host the Olympics, we need to be firmly established on the world stage,” said Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. He expressed confidence in the team’s potential to elevate national pride during the competition.
Despite the absence of javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra due to a torn ligament, the Indian team remains optimistic about achieving another haul of 100 or more medals. In the previous Games, shooting contributed seven of India’s 28 gold medals, while athletics added six, with both sports expected to continue delivering strong results. Similarly, the country’s dominance in compound archery at Hangzhou, where it swept the gold medals, sets high expectations for the team to replicate or exceed that performance in Nagoya.
Cricket represents a particular point of focus given India’s recent success, having won both the men’s and women’s gold medals in Hangzhou. The men’s team enters the Asian Games as current Twenty20 world champions, and the women’s squad is buoyed by their Asia Cup victory in Dubai earlier in September. India is also regarded as a strong contender to capture gold medals in both men’s and women’s field hockey, particularly after the women’s team achieved a fifth-place finish at the recent World Cup—the highest placement by any Asian side.
Additional medal prospects include kabaddi, squash, wrestling, and weightlifting, although aquatics remains a challenging area for the Indian team. Among the standout athletes is weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Now fully fit, the 32-year-old is aiming to claim an Asian Games gold after missing out on the top spot in her previous two appearances. Competing in the 49kg category, Chanu emphasized the high level of competition, noting the presence of some of the strongest lifters in Asia and the opportunity to experience Olympic-caliber rivalry at the Games.
The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya are seen as a critical platform for India to demonstrate its growing sporting prowess and to stake a claim among Asia’s traditional powerhouses.