Asia’s leading para archers set for continental glory at 5th Asian Para Games

Asia’s leading para archers will vie for continental titles at the Asian Para Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 as the competition gets underway at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square on Monday, 19 October.

The 5th Asian Para Games will bring together around 3,000 athletes from 45 National Paralympic Committees across Asia to compete in 18 sports in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 18 to 24 October.

In archery, 99 archers from 19 nations will compete for 15 gold medals across six days, with recurve, compound and W1 events on the programme.

China topped the para archery medal table at Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games with six gold medals and will once again be among the leading contenders. 

India, Iran, Korea and hosts Japan will also be looking to challenge for continental honours, with several returning champions and athletes in strong form following the Ahmedabad 2026 Hyundai World Archery Para Series.

Iran’s Gholamreza Rahimi will be one of the major names in the recurve men’s event as he returns to defend his Asian Para Games title. The Rio 2016 Paralympic champion won individual and doubles gold at Hangzhou 2022.

Rahimi will face a strong field that includes India’s reigning Paralympic champion Singh Harvinder and Japan’s Tomohiro Ueyama, the silver medallist from Hangzhou 2022. Ueyama will be among the home athletes hoping to make an impact in front of the Japanese crowd.

In the recurve women’s event, Iran’s Somayeh Rahimi Ghahderijani will arrive with confidence after winning her first individual Hyundai World Archery Para Series title in Ahmedabad. 

She defeated China’s Qiurong Liang in the final and will look to carry that momentum into Aichi-Nagoya. India’s Bhawna, who won mixed-team gold with Harvinder Singh in Ahmedabad, will also be among the athletes to watch.

India’s compound challenge will be led by Sheetal Devi, who returns to defend her women’s individual title after winning two golds and a silver at Hangzhou 2022.

The world champion and world number one continued her strong form in Ahmedabad, winning individual gold in a shoot-off against Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan and setting an Asian record with a season-best 698 in qualification.

She will again be a key figure in India’s medal campaign in Aichi-Nagoya.

Her compatriot Toman Kumar will be another name to watch in the compound men’s event. The reigning world champion has continued his strong form in 2026 and will be aiming to add Asian Para Games success to his international achievements. India’s compound squad also includes Payal Nag, Sarita and other experienced competitors.

China will look to maintain its strength in W1, with Tianxin Zhang returning to defend his men’s individual title from Hangzhou 2022.

Korea’s Kim Ok Geum, who won the W1 women’s title at the Bangkok 2026 Hyundai World Archery Para Series, will be among the leading contenders as she seeks to turn her recent success into Asian Para Games gold.

With established champions, emerging challengers and athletes carrying momentum from the international circuit, para archery at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is set to offer a competitive battle across all three disciplines.

Key information

What’s happening? Para archery at the 5th Asian Para Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 runs from 19 to 24 October at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki City, Japan.

What’s at stake? Fifteen gold medals across recurve, compound and W1 individual, doubles and mixed-team events.

Who’s competing? 99 archers from 19 countries across Asia.

What’s the story? China will aim to build on its six gold medals from Hangzhou 2022, while India’s Sheetal Devi leads a strong compound challenge. Iran’s Gholamreza Rahimi and Somayeh Rahimi Ghahderijani arrive after notable performances in Ahmedabad, while China’s Zhang Tianxin and Korea’s Kim Ok-geum headline the W1 storylines.

Schedule

• Monday 19 October: Qualifications
• Tuesday 20 October: Eliminations
• Wednesday 21 October: Para Compound doubles, W1 doubles and W1 mixed-team finals
• Thursday 22 October: W1 individual, Para Compound mixed-team and individual finals
• Friday 23 October: Para Recurve doubles and mixed-team finals
• Saturday 24 October: Para Recurve individual finals

How to watch

Live scores will be available through theWorld Archery website, with coverage acrossWorld Archery’s digital platforms throughout the competition.

The event will not be livestreamed.

Who’s competing?

These are some of the notable para archers to watch at Aichi-Nagoya 2026:

• Recurve men: Singh Harvinder, India (world rank: 4)
• Recurve women: Bhawna, India (world rank: 3)
• Compound women: Sheetal Devi, India (world rank: 1)
• Compound men: Toman Kumar, India (world rank: 4)
• W1 men: Tianxin Zhang, China (world rank: 3)
• W1 women:Kim Ok Geum, Korea (world rank: 3)

Competition at the 5th Asian Para Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 begins on Monday, 19 October.