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A contingent of 31 athletes from India is gearing up to participate in the Asian Beach Games 2026, scheduled to take place in Sanya, China, from April 22 to April 30. This sixth edition of the Games will showcase 15 different sports, with a total of 62 gold medals available for competition. India will be represented in four sports: 3x3 basketball, beach kabaddi, sailing, and beach wrestling.

Key Athletes and Event Details

Leading the 3x3 basketball team are India's prominent players, Pranav Prince and Harsh Dagar, as reported by Olympics.com. The Asian Beach Games, organized by the Olympic Council of Asia, celebrate beach and coastal sports that are often not included in the Asian Games. The inaugural event took place in Bali in 2008.

History and Significance of the Games

The last edition of the Games was held in Da Nang in 2016, and the event was initially planned for 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it faced significant delays, marking its return after a decade. The upcoming 2026 Games will be entirely hosted in Sanya, featuring an opening ceremony on April 22 and a closing ceremony on April 30, with beach handball commencing a day earlier on April 21.

India's Achievements at the 2016 Asian Beach Games

During the 2016 Asian Beach Games, India achieved a commendable total of 24 medals, which included 2 gold, 4 silver, and 18 bronze. The women's kabaddi team secured a gold medal, while the men's team earned silver. Additionally, India won another gold in Vovinam, with Shweta More excelling in the women's 52kg category.

Sports Featured in the 2026 Asian Beach Games

The 2026 Asian Beach Games will include a variety of sports such as beach handball, water polo, beach soccer, open water swimming, jiu jitsu, beach volleyball, beach kabaddi, sailing, aquathlon, teqball, beach athletics, dragon boat racing, 3x3 basketball, beach wrestling, and sport climbing.

Indian Contingent for the 2026 Games Men's 3x3 Basketball Team

Harsh Dagar, Pranav Prince, Kushal Singh, Arvind Kumar Muthu.

Women's Beach Kabaddi Team

Ritu, Simran Kamboj, Manisha Kumari, Nikita Chauhan, Manpreet Kaur, Nikita.

Men's Beach Kabaddi Team

Brijendra Singh Choudhary, Jitendra Yadav, Yatharth Deshwal, Neeraj, Jai Bhagwan, Bhanu Pratap Tomar.

Sailing Team

Aastha Pandey (ILCA 4 girls), Shringhari Roy (Optimist girls), Ovie Nair Shaffi (foil windsurfing girls), Vinay Vishwanath Kulabkar (foil windsurfing boys), Chitresh Tatha (formula kite men), Krishna Venkatachalam Ramakrishnan (Optimist boys), Vasu Chandrawanshi (ILCA 4 boys).

Beach Wrestling Team

Pushpa Yadav (women's 60kg), Priyanshi Prajapat (women's 50kg), Jaspeet Kaur (women's 70kg), Priya (women's +70kg), Aryan (men's 90kg), Sachin Mor (men's 80kg), Jaspooran Singh (men's +90kg), Siddharth (men's 70kg).