Asian Para Games: Can India script another 100-medal triumph despite smaller contingent?

India’s para-athletes will look to build on the country’s remarkable rise in international para-sports as the fifth edition of the Asian Para Games gets underway in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on October 18.

After India’s fourth-place finish at the Asian Games 2026, the para contingent will aim to continue the country’s impressive medal-winning run at the continental event.India will be represented by 166 athletes across 10 disciplines at the October 18-24 event. The contingent features several Paralympic medallists, world champions and emerging talents, including archer Sheetal Devi, badminton stars Pramod Bhagat and Suhas Yathiraj, and para-table tennis player Bhavina Patel.

India’s recent performances at the Asian Para Games and Paralympics have established the country as an increasingly competitive force in para-sports. From 14 medals at the inaugural edition in 2010 to a record 108 in Hangzhou in 2023, the progress has been remarkable. The challenge in Aichi-Nagoya will be to build on that foundation and demonstrate that the momentum can continue, even with a smaller contingent.Can India cross the 100-medal mark for the second consecutive edition? While the size of this year’s squad makes comparisons with Hangzhou particularly interesting, India’s established medal-winners and growing strength across disciplines provide reasons for optimism.

166 athletes across 10 disciplines: India’s medal prospects

India’s contingent comprises 111 male and 55 female athletes, alongside 94 team officials and support staff and 15 contingent staff members.Para-athletics accounts for the largest share, with 62 athletes, followed by para-badminton with 28 and para-swimming with 16. Para-shooting has 13 athletes, while para-archery and para-table tennis have 11 and 10, respectively. The remaining disciplines are blind football (10), para-powerlifting (eight), para-judo (seven) and para-cycling (one).The squad brings together established international performers and athletes looking to make their mark at the continental level. Sheetal, Pramod, Suhas and Bhavina are among the prominent names to watch, while para-athletics is expected to play a central role in India’s medal campaign.

From 14 medals to 108: India’s remarkable rise

India’s journey at the Asian Para Games offers a compelling picture of sustained improvement. The country won 14 medals at the inaugural edition in 2010, comprising one gold, four silver and nine bronze, to finish 15th in the standings.Four years later, India retained 15th place but more than doubled its tally, winning 33 medals - three gold, 14 silver and 16 bronze.The breakthrough came in 2018, when India secured 72 medals, including 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze, to climb to ninth place. At Hangzhou in 2023, the contingent took another giant leap, winning 108 medals (27 gold, 32 silver and 49 bronze) to finish fifth.

The progression across four editions reflects the growing depth of Indian para-sports:

India has improved its medal tally in every edition so far while also making significant gains in the standings.

The jump from 72 to 108 medals between the 2018 and 2023 editions was particularly impressive, taking the country past the 100-medal mark for the first time.Aichi-Nagoya offers the next opportunity to extend that progress and build on the foundations established over the previous decade.

Paralympic success underlines India’s growing potential

The rise at the Asian Para Games has been accompanied by a remarkable improvement in India’s performances at the Paralympics.India finished 43rd at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 with four medals. At Tokyo 2020, the country won 19 medals - five gold, eight silver and six bronze - to finish 24th. The momentum continued at Paris 2024, where India achieved its best-ever Paralympic haul of 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze, to finish 18th.These results underline the progress made by India’s para-athletes and have helped raise expectations ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Can India repeat its 100-medal achievement?

India’s record-breaking 108-medal performance at Hangzhou has naturally raised expectations ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. However, the contingent this time comprises 166 athletes, compared with 309 at the previous edition.That represents a reduction of 143 athletes, or approximately 46%. The smaller squad makes a repeat of the previous tally a demanding target, but it does not diminish the significance of the opportunity before the contingent.India’s able-bodied athletes also competed with a smaller contingent at the 2026 Asian Games, with the squad size falling from 661 in Hangzhou to 495 in Aichi-Nagoya. India finished with 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze) after winning 106 at the previous edition.The 21-medal decline came alongside a reduction of around 25% in the number of athletes. The comparison offers an interesting reference point, although it cannot be directly applied to the para contingent because the two competitions have different event structures, athlete profiles and medal opportunities.If the relationship between contingent size and medal output at the Asian Games were used purely as a mathematical illustration, the 46% reduction in India’s para contingent could suggest a medal tally of around 68. Such a figure, however, would be only a theoretical estimate, not a reliable prediction of the outcome.A more encouraging perspective comes from India’s own history at the Asian Para Games. The country won 72 medals with 211 athletes in 2018 before improving to 108 medals with 309 athletes in 2023.

Those results demonstrate that medal conversion depends on far more than the size of the contingent.The quality and competitive experience of the athletes, their event specialisations and their ability to deliver on the day will all influence India’s final tally. A smaller squad can still produce an impressive return if its members make the most of their medal opportunities.

Aichi-Nagoya: Another opportunity to raise the bar

India’s fourth-place finish at the Asian Games has provided a positive backdrop for the para contingent, even though the able-bodied athletes’ final tally of 85 medals was below their Hangzhou total of 106.The Asian Para Games present a fresh opportunity for India to underline the breadth of its sporting progress. The country’s para-athletes have steadily improved their medal totals, climbed the continental standings and carried that momentum onto the Paralympic stage.The immediate target will be to produce strong performances across the 10 disciplines and make the most of the opportunities available. A second consecutive 100-medal finish would be a landmark achievement, while another strong overall showing would further consolidate India’s position among Asia’s leading para-sport nations.The numbers suggest that matching Hangzhou will be challenging, but the bigger story is the remarkable journey that has taken India from 14 medals in 2010 to 108 in 2023.