Gujarat to field record nine athletes at 2026 Asian Games

The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi‑Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. India's squad for the event will include nine athletes from the state of Gujarat, plus one reserve, tripling the representation the state had in 2014.

The Gujarat contingent features shooter Elavenil Valarivan, table‑tennis player Harmit Desai, soft‑tennis player Aniket Patel, swimmer Aryan Nehra, tennis players Ankita Raina and Vaidehi Chaudhary, sprinter Devyani Jala and other athletes in athletics and human‑thrust events. Reserve tennis player Jill Desai has also been named.

State officials said the enlarged team reflects long‑term investment in sports. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi linked the progress to initiatives launched when Narendra Modi was chief minister and highlighted Gujarat’s ambition to become a global sports hub, including plans to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.