By Sachit Subba • Off-Field • Aug 08, 2026 06:13 AM • 41 views
Nepal has finalized its player quota for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, confirming a 168-member delegation through the National Sports Council. The team comprises 136 athletes (56 women and 80 men) and 32 coaches across 22 sports.
Kabaddi leads Nepal's participation with the largest single-sport squad: 24 athletes (12 men and 12 women) and four coaches, totaling 28 members. Cricket follows with 15 male athletes and two coaches. Volleyball completes the top three, fielding an all-women team of 12 players.
Wrestling, Wushu, and Boxing are also well represented. Wushu will send 11 athletes (3 women and 8 men) with two coaches. Boxing fields 7 athletes (3 women and 4 men) and two coaches. Wrestling enters 6 athletes (2 women and 4 men) with one coach.
Athletics and Badminton each have six athletes. Athletics includes 2 women and 4 men, while Badminton has an even split of 3 women and 3 men. Swimming, Table Tennis, and Tennis each field teams of five or six athletes, with Table Tennis balanced at 3 women and 3 men.
Nepal will compete in several sports with smaller, specialized squads. Canoe Slalom and Taekwondo will each send two male athletes, and Skateboard will also field a two-member all-male team. Dance and Sports have the smallest squad, with one male athlete and one coach.
Judo and Karate both maintain healthy representation, with Judo sending 6 athletes (3 women and Karate both have strong representation. Judo will send 6 athletes (3 women and 3 men) and two coaches. Karate fields 8 athletes, with a female-majority of 5 women and 3 men, making it one of the few disciplines where women outnumber men.
Overall, Nepal's delegation shows a near-even gender split, with 56 women and 80 men. Team sports such as Cricket and Canoe Slalom increase the male count, while Volleyball's all-women squad and Karate's female-majority team help balance the numbers.
With the quota confirmed, Nepal is set to begin its Asian Games campaign. Training and preparation camps are expected to intensify across all 22 disciplines ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
