Asian Games 2026: Which Sports Bring India the Most Medals?

The participation of India in the Asian Games has been dominated by some sports that have continuously yielded medals for several generations. In terms of medals won, athletics stands first with 283, followed by shooting, wrestling, kabaddi, and tennis. As the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 commence on September 19, the said sports will once again play an important part in India’s athletic history. With the 2026 edition, yet another milestone was set for India’s sport, with the two shooters being named India’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony, Manu Bhaker and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.

India’s Top 5 Medal-Winning Sports at the Asian Games

The medal-winning track record of India can be traced to the long-standing role of athletics, shooting, and wrestling, while kabaddi and tennis also make significant contributions. The following historical statistics consider the performance up to the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games held in 2023.

Here Are Top-5 Sports In Which Won More Medals At Asian Games 2026

1. Athletics – 283 Medals

India’s biggest medal-winning sports at the Asian Games are athletics, which has 283 medals in total, comprising 85 gold, 102 silver and 96 bronze medals. India has participated in the athletics events in every edition of the Asian Games since its inception in New Delhi in 1951.

One of India’s earliest athletics stars was Milkha Singh, who won gold medals in 200m and 400m in the 1958 Tokyo Games, along with two other gold medals in the 1962 Jakarta Games. Four gold medals and one silver medal was won by P.T. Usha in Seoul 1986.

Neeraj Chopra won gold in the men’s javelin event in the 2018 Jakarta Games and 2022 Hangzhou Games. The athletics event provided India’s largest medal-winning performance in Hangzhou in 2022.

2. Shooting – 80 Medals

India has won 80 medals in Shooting, with 16 gold, 30 silver, and 34 bronze medals.

One of the renowned shooters of India is Jaspal Rana, who won the 25m centre-fire pistol gold at Hiroshima 1994 and 2 individual golds at Doha 2006. At Guangzhou 2010, Ronjan Sodhi won double trap gold.

Sift Kaur Samra of India won the women’s 50m rifle 3P title in a world record performance at the Asian Games of Hangzhou.

It is pertinent to mention that shooting becomes particularly important in 2026 because it is represented by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and also serves as one of the flag bearers of India at the opening ceremony.

3. Wrestling – 65 Medals

The wrestlers of India have won 65 medals in the Asian Games, which include 11 gold, 15 silver, and 39 bronze medals.

Yogeshwar Dutt broke the 28-year gap for a gold medal in Men’s Wrestling in the Asian Games by winning the 65kg freestyle title at Incheon 2014. The 65kg freestyle gold was won again by Bajrang Punia, who had earlier won silver at Incheon at Jakarta 2018.

4. Kabaddi – 13 Medals

Kabaddi has brought home 13 medals for India, although the most unique feature about its performance is that 11 out of 13 medals are gold medals.

While men’s kabaddi was included as a sport in the Asian Games from 1990, women’s kabaddi was included for the first time in 2010. India has won gold in both categories at Hangzhou 2022.

Some of the notable kabaddi players that made India proud were Anup Kumar and Ajay Thakur.

5. Tennis – 34 Medals

Tennis players from India have won 34 Asian Games medals which include 10 gold, seven silver, and 17 bronze medals.

Five of the Asian Games gold medals have been won by Leander Paes. This includes the gold medal won in men’s doubles and team event in Hiroshima 1994, gold medal in men’s doubles in Busan 2002 and gold medals in men’s doubles and mixed doubles in Doha 2006.

Indian men’s doubles players Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan have won gold medal in Jakarta 2018.

Asian Games 2026: Why These Sports Matter

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is India’s 20th Asian Games participation in the multi-sport event that has 43 sports and 469 medal events on the agenda. The dates of the event will be from September 19 to October 4, 2026.

India is participating in the event after setting new records with a total of 107 medals at Hangzhou Asian Games 2022.