The Sports Ministry has approved a 492-member Indian contingent for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, bringing together some of the country's biggest sporting names across athletics, shooting, weightlifting, badminton, boxing and kabaddi.
The contingent consists of 265 male and 227 female athletes and will compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
India has approved a 492-member athlete contingent. The squad includes 265 male and 227 female athletes.
Athletics is the largest group with 73 athletes. Neeraj Chopra will headline the athletics team.
Manu Bhaker leads the shooting contingent. Mirabai Chanu and Gyaneshwari Devi feature in weightlifting.
P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are part of the badminton team. India's kabaddi teams will defend their previous gold medals.
The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4.
Athletics forms the largest group in India's approved contingent, with 73 athletes selected for the continental sporting event.
The athletics squad includes 35 men and 38 women and will be headlined by Neeraj Chopra, India's two-time Olympic medal-winning javelin throw star.
Chopra's participation will be closely watched as he returns to another major multi-sport competition carrying strong expectations after establishing himself as one of India's biggest athletics stars.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The size and quality of India's squad reflect the country's growing depth across multiple sports. While established stars such as Neeraj Chopra, Manu Bhaker, Mirabai Chanu and P V Sindhu will carry major expectations, the inclusion of younger athletes provides an opportunity for India to build its next generation of international competitors. Kabaddi will also remain a major medal opportunity as India's teams attempt to retain their continental dominance.
The shooting squad will feature Manu Bhaker, the double Olympic medallist who has emerged as one of India's leading shooting stars.
India's weightlifting contingent will also have strong representation, with Mirabai Chanu and Gyaneshwari Devi among the prominent names.
The badminton team, comprising 20 players, includes former world champion and Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, along with Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty.
In doubles, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will represent India in women's doubles, while Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be among the key men's doubles combinations.
The boxing squad includes 11 athletes, with recent Commonwealth Games silver medallists Lovlina Borgohain, Narender Berwal and Jadumani Singh among the selected names.
Kabaddi will also be an important part of India's campaign. Full-strength men's and women's teams have been selected with the objective of defending the two gold medals won by India at the previous edition of the Asian Games.
The size and depth of the contingent underline India's broad sporting ambitions at the upcoming continental event.
