Asian Games 2026: India’s Complete Schedule September 19, Saturday; Quimcy Dsouza in the semi-finals of Teqball before the opening ceremony

Quimcy Dsouza. (Photo/Agencies) The 2026 Asian Games will officially begin on Saturday, with the opening ceremony scheduled for 2:30 PM IST in Nagoya. However, several competitions, including women’s cricket, soft tennis and teqball, had already kicked off before the ceremony.

India Schedule for Saturday (September 19):

Taqball6:30 AM IST: Women’s Singles Semi Final – Quimcy Dsouza Vs. Sumaya (Indonesia)Opening ceremony14:30 IST Next: Opening Ceremony of Asian Games 2026

Quimcy Dsouza reached the Teqball semi-finals; mixed doubles pair eyes bronze

India’s Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza moved a single win away from creating history after reaching the semi-finals of the women’s singles teqball at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday.Making her Asian Games debut, Quimcy upset top seed Yuina Sakamoto of Japan 2-1 (10-12, 12-11, 13-11) in her first Group A match.She followed that up with a 2-0 (12-9, 12-7) win over Cambodia’s Koemyean DY in her second group match to finish top of Group A and book a place in the semi-finals.By topping the group, Quimcy received a bye in the quarterfinals.The 24-year-old will face Indonesia’s Sumaya in Saturday’s semi-finals. A win will guarantee India its first ever medal in teqball, one of the six sports making its debut at the Asian Games.Even if she is eliminated in the semifinals, Quimcy will still have a shot at bronze on Sunday.In the mixed doubles, Quimcy and Mohammed Anas Imran Beg were defeated 0-2 (7-12, 10-12) by Vietnam’s Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen and Gia Nghi Trinh in the quarter-finals.However, the Indian pair continue to fight for the bronze medal after winning the rematch.Teqball is one of six sports making its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, alongside mixed martial arts (MMA), padel, surfing, BMX freestyle and virtual taekwondo.The sport combines elements of football and table tennis. It was invented in Hungary in 2014 by Gabor Borsanyi, Gyorgy Gattyan and Viktor Huszar, while the first official teqball world championship was held in Budapest in 2017.In teqball, players use every part of their body except their hands and arms to collect a standard size five soccer ball across a curved table divided by a clear Plexiglas net.

Bhaker, Toor appointed the Indian flag bearers for the opening ceremony

Two-time Olympic shooter Manu Bhaker and defending shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor were named as India’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Friday.The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday and will be attended by a 158-strong Indian contingent.“Manu Bhaker will be one of the flag bearers,” India’s chief of mission Sahdev Yadav said.Later, the Athletics Federation of India confirmed that Toor would be the second flag bearer.Anjali Bhagwat, one of the four deputy chef de missions and a decorated ex-gunner, said 158 members of the Indian contingent would attend the opening ceremony.Bhaker made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single year of the Olympics.Toor ended up with gold medals in the last two editions of the Asian Games.