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Asian Games 2026: India’s Biggest Wins and Controversies
India finished the 2026 Asian Games with 85 medals, including 21 gold. The Games also saw controversies involving Shaili Singh’s long jump and the India-Pakistan cricket final.
Asian Games 2026: India Wins 85 Medals, But Controversies Also Make Headlines
The 2026 Asian Games were held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October.
India finished the Games with 85 medals — 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze and finished fourth in the overall medal standings.
India’s Gold Medals
India won gold in both men’s and women’s cricket.
The women’s team defeated Sri Lanka in the final, while the men’s team defeated Pakistan in the final to complete the cricket gold-medal double. India also won gold in both men’s and women’s kabaddi, with both teams defeating Iran in their finals.
In hockey, both Indian teams won gold. The women’s team defeated China to win its first Asian Games hockey gold since 1982, ending a 44-year wait. India also won three boxing gold medals and six medals in wrestling. In golf, Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games golf gold medal.
India also won medals across shooting, archery, athletics, squash, weightlifting, wushu, rowing, soft tennis, table tennis, badminton and other sports.
Shaili Singh Long Jump Controversy
One of the major controversies involved Indian long jumper Shaili Singh.
She finished fourth with an official best jump of 6.42 metres. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) later alleged that her fourth attempt had been measured from the wrong mark. India’s Ancy Sojan won silver with 6.53m, while China’s Huang Yingying won gold with 6.55m.
India-Pakistan Cricket Final
The men’s cricket final between India and Pakistan also attracted attention beyond the match. Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan did not shake hands at the toss, continuing the no-handshake practice seen in recent India-Pakistan cricket matches.
During the match, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub made a baby-cradle gesture after dismissing 15-year-old Indian batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The gesture drew attention because of Sooryavanshi’s young age. India eventually defeated Pakistan by 19 runs to win the men’s cricket gold.
Medal Ceremony
The medal ceremony also received attention because Mohsin Naqvi, who had been involved in the medal presentation controversy during recent Asia Cup tournaments, was not present. Jay Shah presented the gold medals to the Indian cricket team, while the Pakistani team received its silver medals from an Aichi-Nagoya official.
India’s 85-medal campaign included several historic performances, but the Games also saw controversies that continued to attract attention even after the competitions ended.