Asian Games 2026: Sports from Hangzhou 2023, which were axed from Aichi-Nagoya roster

Go, a board game, featured in the 2010 edition as a medal sport before being dropped for the next two editions. It returned for the 2023 edition in Hangzhou. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The 20th edition of the Asian Games is underway in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as athletes vie for a podium finish in 59 different medal events.

Out of these, six events are making their Asiad debut, namely surfing, teqball, mixed martial arts (MMA), padel, and virtual taekwondo.

Some disciplines, however, which had featured in the 2023 edition, did not find a place in the 2026 Asian Games programme.

Here are some of those medal events which were excluded:

Chess

In Hangzhou, chess was making its third Asiad appearance since it made its debut at Doha 2006. In all the three editions thus far, India bagged two medals across various categories. Its best performance in chess came in 2006 when it won two gold medals.

In the 2023 edition, India won two silver medals through the men’s and women’s teams.

Bridge

This card game made only its second appearance in Hangzhou after making its debut in 2018. Here too, India has been amongst the medals in both editions.

In 2023, India came back with a solitary bridge medal — a silver — with the men’s team finishing second behind Hong Kong.

Marathon swimming

This open-water event under swimming debuted in 2023 with the swimmers competing over a 10km distance.

In the men’s event, China’s Zhang Ziyang and Lan Tianchen completed a 1-2 on the podium, with South Korea’s Park Jae-hun bagging bronze.

In the women’s event, China’s Wu Shutong clinched gold, while her compatriot Sun Jiake won bronze. Japan’s Airi Ebina took silver.

Dragon boat

This event first debuted in 2010 at the Guangzhou edition before it was dropped in the 2014 iteration. It made a comeback in the following edition in Indonesia before continuing in Hangzhou.

In 2023, it was host China, which topped the medals tally with five gold.

READ: Asian Games 2026: Indian debutants to watch out for at Aichi-Nagoya

Go

This board game featured in the 2010 edition as a medal sport before being dropped for the next two editions. It returned for the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, with China topping the standings with three medals, including one gold.

Xiangqi

This board game too was a medal sport in 2010 before it returned in Hangzhou. Here too, China topped the overall standings with five medals, including three gold.

Published on Sep 19, 2026

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