India kicks off Asian Games 2026 campaign TODAY; full schedule & key players

India’s campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, gets underway today, on Thursday, 17 September. It means the kick-off comes two days ahead of the official opening ceremony. 

The country’s first athletes in action will be Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg in the men’s doubles event of the newly introduced sport of teqball, which will feature five medal events. Each event kicks off with a round-robin group stage before moving into the knockout rounds. It also includes a repechage pathway. 

India kicks off Asian Games 2026 campaign TODAY;  full schedule & key players 

The pair, both 2024 World Championship bronze medallists, have been drawn in Group B. They face Vietnam’s Truong Giang Ba and Anh Khoa Le at 12:30 PM IST, followed by Republic of Korea’s Junsuk Lee and Taebeen Lee at 1:00 PM IST. Subject to results, quarter-finals and repechage matches could follow later the same day. 

India’s three-member teqball squad also includes Quimcy Dsouza, who will compete in women’s singles and partner Beg in mixed doubles later in the competition. Teqball, which blends elements of football and table tennis on a curved table and is played without the use of hands or arms, is making its Asian Games debut with five medal events running from 17 to 20 September. 

Gonsalves and Beg are regarded as among India’s stronger medal prospects in the discipline. All eyes will be on the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center as the Indian contingent takes its first steps on the Asian Games stage. While the Asian Games officially begin two days later, India will have an opportunity to have an impact early in the sport. 

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