The Asian Games 2026 closing ceremony featured various Japanese artists while India’s contingent was led by trap shooter Neeru Dhanda
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Neeru Dhanda carrying the Indian flag during the 2026 Asian Games closing ceremony(Photo: Screengrab/X)
The 2026 Asian Games has come to an end today with the closing ceremony at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, featuring a number of famous Japanese artists as the 20th edition of the quadrennial showpiece concluded in Aichi-Nagoya.
The ceremony featured a mix of Japanese music, sport and traditional performancesThe warm-up programme was led by Japanese girl group MYERA, which was among the official supporters of the GamesSinger, dancer and INI member Masaya Kimura, Japanese entertainer and Asian Games Ambassador Kayoko Okubo and a team from Nippon Sport Science University also performed.
アジア競技大会の閉会式です。アスリートの皆さん、感動をありがとうございました。大会関係者、ボランティアの皆さん、お疲れさまでした。 https://t.co/GkvLxMNxA6
— 神谷和利 (@kamiya_kazutosh) October 4, 2026
The Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzo Ninja Corps added a traditional Japanese touch to the programmeYO!YO!YOSUKE and Miho Horie hosted the warm-up showThe ceremony itself was built around the theme “HEART BEAT Aichi-Nagoya”, with the focus on bringing athletes and people from across Asia together through music, culture and sport.
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, receives the Olympic Council of Asia flag from His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Olympic Council of Asia, during the closing ceremony of the Aichi Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Japan, marking the official handover to Doha as host of the 2030 Asian Games.
#AlkassEnglish #Shoof #AichiNagoya2026 #AsianGames2026 #Doha2030
— Alkass English (@alkassenglish) October 4, 2026
Neeru Dhanda leads the way
India’s contingent was led by trap shooter Neeru Dhanda, who carried the national flag at the closing ceremonyDhanda had one of the best campaigns for India in Aichi-Nagoya, winning two gold medals and a silver.
A flagA momentA legacy
Neeru Dhandha serves as India’s flag bearer at the Asian Games 2026 Closing Ceremony ✨
#AsianGames2026 #SonyLIV #SonySportsNetwork https://t.co/OfCcHfogyD
— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) October 4, 2026
She became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shootingDhanda then won silver in the women’s team trap event with Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat before teaming up with Kynan Chenai to win gold in the mixed team trap event.
India finished fourth in the overall medal standings with 85 medalsThe tally included 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medalsIndia sent 495 athletes across 36 disciplines and ended the Games with its second-best medal tally in Asian Games history.
Archery was one of India’s strongest sports, with the country winning nine medalsKumkum Mohod was one of the biggest performers, winning two golds and a silverBoxing produced three gold medals, while wrestling also had two golds through Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal.
India also won gold medals in men’s and women’s cricket, men’s and women’s kabaddi and men’s and women’s hockeyPranavi Urs won India’s first women’s individual golf gold at the Asian Games.
Athletics produced 24 medals, including one gold, while shooting ended with 15 medalsIndia also won its first-ever Asian Games medals in soft tennis, MMA and rowing.
There were disappointments tooIndia returned without a tennis medal for the first time since 1986Badminton produced only one bronze, while squash failed to win a medal.
China topped the final standings with 341 medals, followed by Japan with 269 and South Korea with 150India finished fourth with 85 medals.
Asian Games 2026 final medal tally
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 169 | 89 | 83 | 341 |
| 2 | Japan | 83 | 95 | 91 | 269 |
| 3 | South Korea | 39 | 43 | 68 | 150 |
| 4 | India | 21 | 27 | 37 | 85 |
| 5 | Uzbekistan | 21 | 25 | 24 | 70 |
| 6 | Iran | 19 | 18 | 15 | 52 |
| 7 | Thailand | 18 | 13 | 21 | 52 |
| 8 | Kazakhstan | 12 | 24 | 48 | 84 |
| 9 | Hong Kong, China | 11 | 19 | 24 | 54 |
| 10 | Bahrain | 11 | 5 | 6 | 22 |
| 11 | Malaysia | 9 | 5 | 16 | 30 |
| 12 | Chinese Taipei | 8 | 17 | 31 | 56 |
| 13 | North Korea | 7 | 11 | 9 | 27 |
| 14 | Indonesia | 5 | 8 | 22 | 35 |
| 15 | Philippines | 4 | 8 | 16 | 28 |
| 16 | UAE | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 17 | Kuwait | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 18 | Qatar | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| 19 | Vietnam | 3 | 3 | 19 | 25 |
| 20 | Singapore | 2 | 9 | 5 | 16 |
| 21 | Tajikistan | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| 22 | Saudi Arabia | 2 | 2 | 9 | 13 |
| 23 | Myanmar | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 24 | Macao, China | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 25 | Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 3 | 10 | 14 |
| 26 | Mongolia | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 27 | Sri Lanka | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 28 | Jordan | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 29 | Turkmenistan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 30 | Iraq | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 31 | Syria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 32 | Lebanon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 33 | Laos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Afghanistan | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 35 | Nepal | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 36 | Pakistan | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 37 | Bangladesh | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 38 | Palestine | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | Cambodia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 40 | Timor-Leste | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Maldives | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
