Thailand targets 14 gold medals at Asian Games in Japan

Thailand is targeting 14 gold medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with four sought in sepak takraw and three in teqball, together accounting for half of the country’s gold-medal ambition.

The remaining targets are one gold each in kurash, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, golf, athletics, sailing and esports. The figures represent the sports associations’ ambitions ahead of the competition.

The 20th Asian Games, known as Aichi-Nagoya 2026, will take place in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026.

The National Olympic Committee of Thailand under Royal Patronage has announced plans to send 694 athletes, comprising 356 men and 338 women, to compete in 42 sports represented by 46 sports associations.

The squad breakdown:

• Athletics — 35
• Aquatics — 60, comprising 18 swimmers, two divers, 30 water polo players and 10 artistic swimmers.
• Archery — 8
• Badminton — 20
• Baseball — 24
• Softball — 17
• Basketball — 20, covering five-a-side and 3x3 basketball.
• Esports — 29

• Boxing — 11
• Cricket — 15
• Rowing — 14
• Canoe-kayak — 16, comprising six in canoe sprint and 10 in canoe slalom.
• Cycling — 24. The Games’ cycling programme includes road, track, mountain biking, BMX racing and BMX freestyle.
• Equestrian — 11
• Fencing — 10
• Football — 46, covering the men’s and women’s teams.
• Golf — 6
• Gymnastics — 12
• Handball — 16
• Hockey — 40, covering the men’s and women’s teams.
• Judo — 7
• Kabaddi — 24
• Karate — 10
• Jiu-jitsu — 16
• Kurash — 4
• Mixed martial arts (MMA) — 2
• Wushu — 6
• Modern pentathlon — 3
• Skateboarding — 7
• Rugby football — 26
• Sailing — 12
• Windsurfing — 4
• Surfing — 4
• Sepak takraw — 30
• Shooting — 16
• Shotgun shooting — 8
• Sport climbing — 6
• Squash — 4
• Table tennis — 8
• Tennis — 12
• Soft tennis — 5
• Triathlon — 6
• Volleyball — 32, comprising 24 indoor volleyball players and eight beach volleyball players.
• Breaking — 4
• Weightlifting — 10
• Wrestling — 4
• Teqball — 5.

Forty-five delegations listed

The Olympic Council of Asia lists 45 participating national Olympic committees, including host Japan.

The participants are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

Live coverage begins on September 10

Live coverage in Thailand is scheduled to begin on September 10, before the opening ceremony on September 19.

The broadcast lineup comprises NBT, T Sports 7, Channel 9 MCOT HD, ONE 31, MONOMAX SPORTS TV, Thairath TV 32 and PPTV HD 36, with online coverage available through AIS PLAY.