Overview
- State officials announced on Monday that nine athletes and one reserve from Gujarat were selected for India’s team at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, scheduled for Sept. 19–Oct. 4, 2026.
- The selected delegation spans six sports — shooting, table tennis, tennis, swimming, athletics and soft tennis — and includes Elavenil Valarivan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Ankita Raina, Vaidehi Chaudhari, Aniket Patel, Aryan Nehra and Devyani Zala, with Jil Desai named as a reserve.
- Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi credited the rise in representation to long-term, state-run talent programs and high-performance support that have expanded scouting and training across the state.
- Officials said the record contingent marks a sharp increase from Gujarat’s three representatives at the 2014 Asian Games and signals the state’s shift from a cricket-focused culture to a broader multi-sport presence.
- The government plans rapid infrastructure and athlete-support upgrades as part of preparations for hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games, a push that could deepen the state’s talent pipeline and increase future international selections.