India finishes fourth at Nagoya Asian Games as funding and talent gaps come to light

India finished fourth at the Asian Games in Nagoya with 85 medals, falling short of its 100-medal target and placing 21 medals behind its record haul in Hangzhou. The country collected 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals at the event which wound up on Sunday in Japan. Thirteen of the 21 gold medals came in team events, while 19 of the 27 silver medals came in individual events.

Funding And Talent

Between the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the Nagoya edition, the Government spent Rs 97.84 crore under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, known as TOPS. Only about two per cent of that funding translated to gold medals in Nagoya. Separately, the Government spent Rs 702.86 crore under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competitions programme between 2023 and 2026, with only 12.5 per cent of that spending associated with gold medals. Several gold medallists won without backing from the flagship elite scheme. Teenager Kumkum Mohod secured an individual gold in women's recurve without being in TOPS. Shooter Suruchi Singh was added only recently, and her mixed team partner Kamaljeet Singh is not on the list. Neeru Dhanda won a trap gold while remaining outside the TOPS core group.

Strongholds And Review

Traditional strongholds faced reality checks during the games. In badminton, India failed to win an individual medal for the first time in 12 years. In weightlifting, Mirabai Chanu won a silver medal, which was India's first Asian Games medal in the sport since 1998, though she remains the country's only major name without an obvious successor. Athletics and shooting contributed 39 medals combined, down from 51 in Hangzhou. Athletics Federation of India spokesperson Adille Sumariwala said individual performances were satisfying and that improvement in performance should be tracked for future Olympic preparation rather than judging solely on medal counts. A Sports Ministry official stated that the performance of the contingent was encouraging and that a thorough assessment will be undertaken to identify gaps and strengthen preparations with a clear focus on the upcoming Olympic Games.

Context

Multi-sport continental events like the Asian Games serve as important mid-term evaluations for national sports federations ahead of the Olympic Games. Analyzing medal patterns and funding returns helps sports ministries adjust training programmes, coaching support, and athlete selections for future international competitions.