Asian Games 2026: India teqball pair lose both group matches
India's Asian Games 2026 campaign got underway on September 17 with teqball action in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, two days before the official opening ceremony. Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg became the first Indian athletes to compete at this edition of the continental sporting event.
India teqball campaign begins with men's doubles action
The Indian pair began their men's doubles teqball campaign in Group B but faced a challenging start, losing both of their group-stage matches. They were scheduled to take on Vietnam's Truong Giang Ba and Anh Khoa Le before facing Republic of Korea players Junsuk Lee and Taebeen Lee.
Gonsalves and Beg entered the Asian Games with strong international experience. The duo had created history at the 2024 World Championships in Vietnam by winning India's first teqball medal, securing bronze in the competition.
Their Asian Games appearance is significant for Indian teqball, which is still developing as a competitive sport in the country. Although the group-stage results did not go India's way, participation at the continental level gives the sport greater exposure and offers Indian players experience against leading Asian teams.
Teqball makes Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Teqball is being contested at the Asian Games for the first time in Aichi-Nagoya. Originating in Hungary, the sport combines football skills with a specially designed curved table. Players use their feet, head and other permitted parts of the body to return the ball, creating a fast-paced contest that combines elements of football, freestyle play and sepak takraw.
Five medal events are scheduled in teqball between September 17 and 20, covering men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. Each event begins with a round-robin group stage before moving into knockout competition.
India has three teqball players participating at Asian Games 2026. Mohamed Beg is also set to partner Quimcy Dsouza in mixed doubles, while Dsouza will compete in the women's singles event.
The Asian Games officially run from September 19 to October 4, with some competitions beginning before the opening ceremony. India will now look ahead to its remaining teqball events as more athletes begin their campaigns across different sports.
