August 23, 2026 | Kathmandu
Nepal is preparing to participate in the 20th Asian Games, which will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19, 2026. As the tournament approaches, Nepali athletes and coaches are intensifying their final preparations.
The National Sports Council has finalized Nepal’s participation in 22 sports. A total of 136 athletes—56 women and 80 men—along with 32 coaches will represent Nepal, making the delegation 168 members strong.
The number of athletes is 66 fewer than in the previous edition. At the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, Nepal sent 234 athletes across 29 sports.
Of the 22 sports selected for this year’s Asian Games, athletes from only nine sports have received opportunities for overseas training. Athletes from the remaining disciplines are preparing in Kathmandu using the available facilities and limited resources.
Athletes from boxing, wrestling, swimming, tennis, kabaddi and cycling are training in India. Golf players have trained in two different countries, while Nepal’s wushu team completed a month-long training camp in China before returning home.
Nepal will compete in archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, canoe slalom, cricket, cycling, dance and sports, golf, judo, kabaddi, karate, skateboarding, soft tennis, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, women’s volleyball, wrestling and wushu.
Nepal’s e-sports athletes, despite qualifying for the Asian Games, will not be able to compete because of a dispute between two organizations over the sport’s representation.
Only 26 Medals in 75 Years
Nepal has maintained regular participation in the Asian Games since the first edition in 1951. However, its medal record remains modest compared with its consistent participation.
Over 75 years of Asian Games history, Nepal has won only three silver and 23 bronze medals, for a total of 26 medals.
Nepal’s first silver medal came at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, where taekwondo athlete Sabita Rajbhandari finished second.
Two decades later, Nepal won another silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. The men’s team in the paragliding cross-country event, comprising Bimal Adhikari, Vijay Gautam, Sushil Gurung, Yukesh Chaudhary and Bishal Thapa, secured the silver medal.
At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, karate athlete Erika Gurung won a silver medal in an individual event, ending a 25-year wait for Nepal to win a silver medal in an individual competition.
Nepal’s women’s kabaddi team also won a bronze medal in Hangzhou, helping the country avoid a medal-less campaign.
Nepal had won 11 bronze medals between 1951 and 1994. At the 1998 Asian Games, it collected one silver and three bronze medals. Nepal then won three bronze medals each at the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea and the 2006 Games in Qatar.
At the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, boxer Deepak Maharjan won a bronze medal in the men’s 81kg category. At the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, karate athlete Bimala Tamang also secured a bronze medal in the women’s individual event.
Despite Nepal’s consistent presence at the Asian Games, a significant improvement in its medal tally has remained a longstanding challenge. Limited infrastructure, inadequate international exposure and shortages of resources continue to affect preparations.
With the 20th Asian Games approaching, Nepali athletes are aiming to overcome these challenges and deliver stronger performances on the international stage.
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