Asian Games 2026: India losing most of its Hangzhou gold medals
As the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya near their close, India has lost most of the gold medals it won at the previous edition in Hangzhou, raising questions about the effectiveness of the country's sporting system.
A sharp decline from Hangzhou
With the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, entering their final stretch, India's results show a marked decline compared with the previous Games in Hangzhou, where the country produced a record 106-medal haul — 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze. The Times of India describes the Hangzhou Games as having taken place three years ago, while Rediff refers to them as the 2022 edition. According to The Times of India, by Thursday 20 of India's 28 Hangzhou golds had already been lost, while Rediff, citing the situation as of 30 September, puts India's gold count at 9 against 28 at Hangzhou — the two outlets differ slightly on the exact current gold tally (9 versus 10), though both agree the drop is substantial. The Times of India adds that India's overall medal count has passed 60, placing it eighth overall, while China had by then won 154 golds and 288 medals in total.
Where the gold has gone
The decline is sharpest among individual athletes: none of the nine individual golds India won in shooting, athletics and archery at Hangzhou has been defended. India has lost all seven shooting golds and all six athletics golds, both squash titles, the badminton men's doubles gold (the Satwik-Chirag pair was eliminated in the opening round in Nagoya), the team dressage title in equestrian, and the tennis mixed doubles gold. In athletics, Parul Chaudhary, the Hangzhou 5,000m champion, took bronze this time, while 3,000m steeplechase champion Avinash Sable finished fourth. Rediff notes that athletics and shooting alone accounted for 13 of India's 28 Hangzhou golds, making their decline decisive for the overall outcome. Titles successfully defended include both kabaddi golds, the archery team golds, and women's cricket gold; the only new individual gold is Neeru Dhanda's win in women's trap.
Two chances remain
India's campaign is not over. The men's hockey team reached the gold-medal match after beating Pakistan 4-3 in the semifinal, and the men's cricket team will face Pakistan in the final after beating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semifinal. Even with two wins from two, the broader picture — roughly 20 lost Hangzhou golds — would barely change.
Questions for the system
Rediff highlights that wrestling's campaign was undermined even before competition began by doping cases, despite India having won six wrestling medals at Hangzhou. The piece also points to the Indian government's reported record sports investment — a combined outlay of Rs 36,441 crore for the Khelo India programme and assistance to national sports federations for 2026-2031 — and asks why this funding and expanded infrastructure have not translated into sustained results.
