The 5th Asian Para Games 2026 open on Sunday, October 18, in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Competition runs through Saturday, October 24. Nagoya becomes the first Japanese city to host the event, with 492 medal events across 18 sports.
The opening ceremony takes place on Sunday, October 18. Ticket holders begin identity verification at 1:30 PM local time, and gates open at 2:00 PM. The pre-show and ceremony follow later in the day. Competition then runs through Saturday, October 24.
One confirmed early fixture is a wheelchair rugby preliminary between Japan and South Korea on Tuesday, October 20, at 10:00 AM local time. Japan is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of India. Any session starting at 10:00 AM in Nagoya therefore begins at 6:30 AM in India.
Competition is spread across 19 venues in the host region, many of them existing facilities. Blind football is played at the Nagoya City Tsuruma Park multipurpose ground. Wheelchair rugby is staged at Wing Arena Kariya, and wheelchair basketball is based at the Aichi International Arena. Para fencing takes place at the Inae Sports Center. Shooting para sports are held at the renovated Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range in Toyota.
The programme features 492 medal events across 18 sports and 19 disciplines. Sports in the programme include para fencing, para judo, para table tennis, para cycling, para taekwondo, para archery, and shooting para sports. Team events include blind football, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.
India sends 176 athletes, 116 men and 60 women, across 12 sports. It is the country’s fifth appearance at the Asian Para Games. Para-badminton star Pramod Bhagat and para table tennis star Bhavina Patel will carry the flag at the opening ceremony.
Part of the squad breakdown is confirmed. Para judo and para table tennis each send 10 athletes, para cycling sends seven, and para fencing sends five. India’s archers were picked through selection trials in Sonipat, Haryana, in May.
India’s men’s blind football team is one of six nations in the field. The others are Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, and Iran. Matches are played at Tsuruma Park, and organizers have published the match-ups. Check the official schedule for exact kickoff times.
India does not enter a team in wheelchair rugby, where only Japan, South Korea, and Thailand compete. Session times for India’s individual athletes are listed by sport on the official competition schedule.
India arrives with a record to chase. At the previous Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, held in October 2023, India won a record 108 medals. That haul comprised 27 gold, 32 silver, and 49 bronze, good for sixth place. It was the first time India crossed 100 medals, beating the previous best of 72 from 2018.
Para athletics delivered 53 of those 108 medals, including 17 golds. Badminton added 21 more. This year’s squad is much smaller. India sends 176 athletes in 12 sports, compared with 309 athletes in 17 sports in Hangzhou. That is roughly 43% fewer athletes, so matching 108 medals looks difficult.
Since 2010, the Asian Para Games have usually followed the Asian Games in the same host country. That tradition brings the event to Aichi-Nagoya two weeks after the main Games closed on October 4. The 2026 edition is the first in Japan, and its motto is “Imagine One Heart.”
Official India broadcast details for the 2026 edition had not been confirmed at the time of writing. The previous Asian Para Games aired on DD Sports on television, with streaming on FanCode. Those platforms are the first places to check. The official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 website also publishes schedules, results, and ticket information for fans attending in person.
Medal events run until Saturday, October 24, when the Games close. India has yet to name its closing ceremony flag bearer. Check back for live results, medal tallies, and India’s daily performance once competition begins.
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