Nagoya: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) announced that Qatar will send a delegation of 243 athletes to the 20th Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Japan's Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.
According to Qatar News Agency, the QOC detailed during a press conference that the Qatari delegation will total 427 members. This includes 243 athletes - 184 men and 59 women - alongside 142 technical and administrative staff, 23 members of the administrative delegation, and 16 media delegates.
Qatar is set to compete across 26 sports and 32 disciplines represented by 18 national sports federations, with high expectations of achieving strong results to bolster the nation's standing on the continental stage. The sports disciplines include athletics, football, basketball, 3x3 basketball, handball, volleyball, beach volleyball, squash, padel, taekwondo, judo, artistic gymnastics, golf, shooting, swimming, jiu-jitsu, e-sports, sailing, equestrianism, karate, fencing, archery, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, and table tennis.
To support the delegation, the QOC unveiled the "Mirqab" platform, a digital portal designed to provide comprehensive coverage of Qatar's participation, news updates, information, and services throughout the Games. Additionally, a Qatari hospitality house will be established to showcase Qatari culture and heritage.
The 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026, represent a key preparation event for Qatari athletes ahead of upcoming competitions, foremost among them the 2030 Asian Games in Doha, which Qatar is preparing to host. Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture will host the Games, with some competitions also taking place in neighboring areas in Gifu, Shizuoka, Osaka, and Tokyo prefectures.
Ahmed Youssef Al Darwish, head of the administrative delegation of the Qatari contingent participating in the 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026, said preparations had been carried out as required, noting that preparations began immediately after the conclusion of the previous edition, which was held in China.
Al Darwish said a large working team had been formed to oversee the various details related to Qatar's participation, in coordination with the sports federations, with the aim of providing the best possible conditions for the athletes and delegations and achieving the highest level of success. He stressed that the primary objective was to ensure a distinguished showing for Qatar.
At the end of these Games, attention will turn to Doha, which will host the next edition of the Asian Games in 2030. Therefore, participation in Aichi-Nagoya represents an important milestone, not only at the sporting level but also in terms of preparations for the next hosting, he said. He noted that Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will feature extensive participation across 41 sports and 68 disciplines, with a total of 460 events taking place at 53 competition venues and 75 training venues. The Qatari delegation, he said, will seek to benefit from the experience in all aspects.
Regarding women's participation, he said Qatari female athletes account for about 31 percent of the total number of participating athletes, describing the figure as a positive indicator that reflects the development of women's participation in Qatari sport and their growing presence across different sports.