Asian Games 2026 (Reuters Photo)

NEW DELHI: India’s official contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has been expanded to 768 members, with surfing added as the 36th sport. The Games will be held in Japan from Sept 19 to Oct 4.According to the sports ministry’s sanction order, the athletes’ strength has risen from originally named 492 to 503 sportspersons. The revised squad comprises 269 men and 234 women, compared with the earlier 265 men and 227 women sanctioned.Surfing’s inclusion brings four athletes: Kishore Kumar Anbarashu and Sivaraj Babu in men’s shortboard, and Kamali Prakash and Sugar Shanti Gayen in women’s shortboard. The discipline has an even split of two male and two female competitors.Athletics has received six additions, taking its strength from 73 to 79 athletes. The revised athletics squad comprises 36 men and 43 women. The additions are Praveen Kumar (men’s hammer throw), Harita Bhadra (women’s 200m), Kiran Pahal (women’s 400m), Asha Ilango (women’s triple jump), Sindhushree Ganesha (women’s pole vault) and Sanya Yadav (women’s discus throw).In mixed martial arts, Varun Sanyal has been added in the men’s traditional 77kg category, taking the discipline’s squad from one female athlete to two competitors.The overall contingent includes 265 officials: 150 coaches/chief coaches/deputy coaches, 24 medical personnel/doctors, 31 physiotherapists, four sports psychologists/recovery experts, 10 masseurs/masseuses, 10 team managers/team leaders/technical analysts and 36 others. Of these, 246 are team officials/support staff and 19 are Indian Olympic Association (IOA) contingent staff.The latest expansion follows ministry’s revised approval order which had India's participation in 35 sports disciplines. India will now compete across 36 disciplines. The IOA has also been directed to ensure adequate female support staff, including doctors, physiotherapists and masseuses, from the approved pool wherever such personnel are not included in discipline-wise contingents, to assist female athletes.