Asian Games 2026 Live Updates: Quimcy Dsouza eyes historic medal; Manu Bhaker, Pawan Sehrawat lead India at Opening Ceremony

Asian Games 2026 Live Updates: The Asian Games 2026 officially begin on Saturday in Nagoya, with the opening ceremony scheduled to start at 2.30 pm IST. While the ceremony marks the formal start of the Games, competition has already begun in a few sports, including women’s cricket, soft tennis and teqball. The Aichi-Nagoya edition opens with athletes from across Asia competing over the coming weeks, and India enters the Games with one of its biggest contingents. Saturday’s schedule combines the pageantry of the opening ceremony with India’s first medal opportunities in teqball. The opening ceremony will feature a 158-member Indian contingent marching in Nagoya, while Indian athletes have already begun their campaigns in events that started before the official launch. Day 1 therefore offers both sporting action and the ceremonial beginning of the continental multi-sport event.

India’s Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza enters Saturday’s teqball semifinal with history within touching distance. Making her Asian Games debut, the 24-year-old has already produced one of India’s standout stories of the opening days by topping Group A and securing a place in the semifinals. Quimcy defeated top seed Yuina Sakamoto of Japan 2-1 (10-12, 12-11, 13-11) before beating Cambodia’s Koemyean DY 2-0 (12-9, 12-7). Finishing first in the group also earned her a bye into the semifinals. She will now face Indonesia’s Sumaya on Saturday morning. A victory will guarantee India its first-ever medal in teqball, one of the six sports making its Asian Games debut. Even if she loses the semifinal, Quimcy will still have a chance to compete for bronze on Sunday.