India’s preparations for the 2026 Para Asian Games received a major boost after the Sports Ministry approved a 275-member contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya showpiece, while also removing para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal amid mounting controversy.
The Sports Ministry approved a total of 166 athletes for the upcoming Para Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, removing the under-fire para-shooting coach Jai Prakash Nautiyal after a controversy-embroiled selection process triggered protests from the shooters and cyclists.
Following the Asian Games 2026, India’s para athletes are gearing up to showcase their talent on one of the biggest stages in continental para sports. The country will be represented by one of its largest-ever para athletic contingents, comprising 62 athletes and a 36-member support staff.
Sports Ministry drops coach amid selection row
Coach Nautiyal was facing severe allegations of not following the set criteria and demanding kickbacks in return for selection in the squad. Multiple para shooters raised their voices by staging a protest outside the SAI headquarters and during the Para Asian Games send-off ceremony, seeking his removal and an investigation into the charges against him.
The para athletes also met Mansukh Mandaviya to present their grievances, and it is also understood that the Sports Ministry’s intervention led to Nautiyal’s removal.
Long-serving national coach Jeevan L Rai has replaced the controversial Nautiyal in the contingent and will be with the team in Aichi-Nagoya for the para continental showpiece.
The Ministry, however, did not make any last-minute additions in the cycling unit. Only Arshad Shaik, the Paralympian cyclist, will be part of India’s contingent after meeting the selection criteria comfortably.
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India’s total at the continental showpiece would be 275 in 10 disciplines, including 94 team officials & support staff and 15 contingent staff. The contingent includes World Championships-winning visually impaired sprinter Simran, who will be running with a new guide after his previous guide, Umar Saifi, was caught in the doping net.
Among the accomplished names in the approved table tennis contingent is Paralympic silver-winning TT player Bhavina Patel.
Former world number one and Tokyo Paralympic gold-medallist Pramod Bhagat, along with former Paralympic silver-winner Suhas Yathiraj, headline the badminton squad of 28 (17 men and 11 women). The shuttlers have been provided with a support staff of 11.
Armless compound archer Sheetal Devi, who won two gold medals at the previous Para Asiad, will once again be a top contender.
The 19-year-old world champion will be joined by another prodigal talent in 18-year-old Payal Nag, who created quite a buzz by beating Sheetal in the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok earlier this year.
The controversy-struck 13-strong shooting squad features Paralympic gold-winner Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal among others. Agarwal secured an Olympic quota place for India in the 2028 Olympics by winning a silver in the recent world championships in Korea.