Asian Games 2026: India's Report Card: Three Sports That Shone and Three That Disappointed

India's campaign at the Asian Games 2026 produced a mixture of landmark achievements, encouraging performances and a few glaring disappointments.

With 85 medals - 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, India finished fourth in the overall medal standings. While the tally fell short of the country's record haul at the previous edition, the Games also highlighted India's growing depth across several disciplines.

There were breakthrough performances in archery, hockey and boxing, while athletics and shooting remained among India's biggest medal contributors. However, the performances in tennis and badminton raised concerns, while shooting's inability to convert a large number of podium finishes into gold medals was another talking point. Here is a closer look at the three sports that exceeded expectations and three that left India wanting more.

Three Sports That Did Well

1. Archery: A+

Archery emerged as one of India's biggest success stories in Aichi-Nagoya.

India finished with nine medals, including five golds, two silvers and two bronzes, underlining the country's growing dominance in both compound and recurve events.

The compound contingent once again delivered strongly, while the recurve archers also produced important performances. The campaign demonstrated that India's strength in archery is no longer restricted to one particular discipline or a handful of established names.

The gold-medal haul was particularly significant given the depth of competition in Asia, where South Korea, China and other traditional powerhouses remain formidable opponents.

2. Hockey: A+

Few Indian teams entered the Asian Games with expectations as high as the men's and women's hockey sides, and both delivered. India's men retained their Asian Games title, reinforcing their position as the continent's leading force. The women's team, meanwhile, produced one of the most significant results of the Games by ending a 44-year wait for Asian Games gold.

The two titles were more than just medals. They also carried immense importance in the context of Olympic qualification and India's preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 cycle.

For the men's team, the gold confirmed continued continental supremacy. For the women, it represented a long-awaited breakthrough and a reward for the progress made over recent years.

3. Boxing: A

Indian boxing had a strong outing, returning with six medals, including three golds and three bronzes. The performances were particularly encouraging because they came amid growing competition in Asian boxing and increasing scrutiny over India's international results.

The gold-medal performances provided the biggest boost. The campaign also showed that India's medal prospects are not dependent on a single star, with multiple boxers stepping up on the biggest continental stage. The results should provide considerable confidence heading into the next Olympic cycle.

Three Sports That Disappointed

1. Tennis: F

Tennis was arguably India's biggest disappointment at the Asian Games.

The country finished the competition without a single medal, ending a remarkable run of Asian Games success in the sport.

India has traditionally been one of Asia's stronger tennis nations and has regularly returned from the Games with medals. The absence of a podium finish in 2026 therefore represents a significant setback.

The failure was not simply about the final medal count. India had opportunities in several events but could not convert them into podium finishes, with the singles and doubles campaigns falling short of expectations.

For a country with a strong doubles tradition and a sizeable pool of experienced players, a medal-less campaign is difficult to overlook.

2. Badminton: C-

Badminton's return of one bronze medal was well below what India would have expected before the Games. India has transformed into a major force in world badminton over the past decade, producing Olympic and World Championship medallists across singles and doubles. That raised expectations considerably going into Aichi-Nagoya.

Instead, India's campaign struggled to produce deep runs in the individual competitions, while the team events also failed to deliver the kind of results expected from a country with such considerable international pedigree. One bronze medal is not disastrous in isolation, but it represents a significant underperformance relative to India's recent standards.

3. Shooting: B-

Shooting presents a more complicated case. India finished with an impressive 15 medals, three golds, eight silvers and four bronzes, making it one of the country's biggest medal contributors.

On numbers alone, it would be difficult to call the campaign disappointing. However, expectations were considerably higher after India's remarkable performance at Hangzhou 2022, where shooters won seven gold medals. The sharp decline in gold medals means the 2026 campaign cannot be viewed as an unqualified success.

India repeatedly found itself close to the top step of the podium but struggled to convert those opportunities into gold. The large number of silver medals illustrates both the strength of the contingent and the missed opportunities.

There were positives, particularly from the younger shooters and mixed-team events, but improving gold-medal conversion will be a key priority ahead of Los Angeles 2028.

India's Asian Games 2026 Report Card