India began its 2026 Asian Games campaign in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with teqball on Thursday, two days before the official opening ceremony of the continental multi-sport event.
Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg made history as the first Indian athletes to compete at this year’s Games, taking part in the men’s doubles teqball competition. However, the Indian pair lost both of their Group B matches and failed to advance to the quarter-finals.
Gonsalves and Beg opened their campaign against Vietnam’s Truong Giang Ba and Anh Khoa Le. The Vietnamese pair secured a straight-sets 2-0 victory, winning 12-10 and 12-8.
India then faced the Republic of Korea’s Junsuk Lee and Taebeen Lee in its second Group B contest. The Korean duo also registered a 2-0 victory, taking the two sets 12-4 and 12-7. With two defeats from two matches, Gonsalves and Beg ended their group-stage campaign without securing a quarter-final berth.
Despite the result, the appearance marked a milestone for Indian teqball. Gonsalves and Beg had previously secured India’s first medal in the sport by winning bronze at the 2024 Teqball World Championships in Vietnam.
Teqball is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya, with five medal events being contested from September 17 to 20. The programme includes men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, with competitions beginning in a round-robin group stage before moving to the knockout rounds.
India has three athletes competing in teqball at the Games. Beg is also scheduled to partner Quimcy Dsouza in mixed doubles, while Dsouza will represent India in the women’s singles competition.
Elsewhere at the Games, China’s women’s cricket campaign ended without a ball being bowled in its quarter-final against Bangladesh because of a wet outfield. Bangladesh advanced to the semi-finals based on its higher international ranking under the competition’s playing conditions.
The 20th Asian Games officially run from September 19 to October 4, although several competitions began ahead of the opening ceremony. The Games feature 43 sports, with athletes from across Asia competing in Aichi-Nagoya.
