 "India at Asian Games")
India, the host of the first Asian Games in 1951 and one of the founding members of the Asian Games Federation, the body that regulated the games since its inception till 1978, is one of the leading nations in the history of the Asian Games. With 155 gold medals, 201 silver medals and 316 bronze medals, India ranks fifth in the all-time medals tally of the games behind sporting powerhouses China, Japan, South Korea and Iran.
India at the 1951 Asian Games
Being the hosts, India participated in all sporting disciplines and won 15 gold, 16 silver and 20 bronze medals to finish second in the medals tally behind Japan in an 11-nation competition held in New Delhi. To date, this has been the best finish by India in terms of position on the medals tally.
India at the 1954 Asian Games
The next edition of the continental event was held in Manila, Philippines. India finished fifth in the medals tally among 18 nations participating in eight sporting disciplines. The country won five gold, four silver and eight bronze medals.
India at the 1958 Asian Games
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The number of sports increased in the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games to 13 from eight in 1954. Yet, India could only win five gold, four silver and four bronze medals to get their total to 13 medals and finished in the seventh position in the medals tally.
India at the 1962 Asian Games
India improved its performances by leaps and bounds in the next four years to win 10 gold medals, 13 silver and 10 bronze medals to finish in the third position in the medals tally. Only 12 countries participated across 13 sporting disciplines in the games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
India at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games
Held in Bangkok, Thailand, the two consecutive Asian Games saw India win 21 and 25 medals in the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games, respectively. In both games, India finished fifth in the medals tally, comprising 16 countries in each edition. In 1966, India won seven gold, three silver and 11 bronze medals, while in 1970, the country went on to win six gold, nine silver and 10 bronze medals.
The 1970 edition was shifted to Thailand after South Korea showed its inability to host the games in Seould due to tensions with North Korea. Thailand hosted the games with South Korean funds.
India at the 1974 Asian Games
For the first time, Asian Games moved to West Asia, with Tehran, Iran’s capital, hosting the event. India finished seventh on the medals tally despite winning 28 medals. It was because Team India managed to win only four gold medals.
India at the 1978 Asian Games
Bangkok hosted the games again, as Singapore declined at the last moment, citing financial shortage. Pakistan was offered to host the games in Islamabad but tensions with India and Bangladesh prevented the country from hosting the games.
India won 11 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals, passing the tally of 10 gold medals for the first time since the 1951 games. The Indian team finished sixth in the medals tally.
India at the 1982 Asian Games
After 1951, India got the opportunity to host the games 31 years later in 1982. It was the first time colour television sets were installed in the country to host the event and a Games village was also constructed in Delhi. India finished fifth among 22 nations participating across 21 sporting disciplines. The hosts won 13 gold, 19 silver and 25 bronze medals to take their tally to 57 medals. It remained India’s best performance in terms of medal haul till 2006 before being breached in the 2010 edition.
India at the 1986 Asian Games
Treated as a test event for the 1988 Olympics, the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul saw 22 countries participate in 26 sporting disciplines. India won five gold, nine silver and 25 bronze medals to finish in the fifth position on the medals table.
India at the 1990 Asian Games
Held for the first time in China, the Beijing Asian Games saw participation from 31 countries across 27 sporting disciplines. This was the worst games as far as the position on the medals tally was concerned. India could only manage to win a single gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals to finish in the 11th position in the medal table. To date, the 1990 Asian Games have been the only edition where India finished outside the top 10 in the medals tally.
India at the 1994 Asian Games
Hosted by Hiroshima, Japan, the 1994 Asian Games saw the highest number of countries participate till then. 42 countries participated across 34 sporting disciplines. India got better than its performance in 1990, but still could only win four gold medals, three silver medals and 16 bronze medals to finish in the eighth position in the medals tally.
India at the 1998 Asian Games
The Asian Games moved back to Bangkok for a record fourth time. 41 nations participated across 36 sporting disciplines and India finished in the ninth position despite winning 35 medals, which included seven gold, 11 silver and 17 bronze medals.
India at the 2002 Asian Games
With the turn of the century, the Asian Games returned to South Korea for the second time in 16 years. Held in Busan, the games saw the biggest-ever participation in the number of athletes and countries compared to all previous games. 7,711 athletes from 44 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) computed across 38 sporting disciplines.
India improved its performance from Bangkok and won 11 gold, 12 silver and 13 silver medals to finish at the seventh position in the medals table with a total of 36 medals to their name.
India at the 2006 Asian Games
The Asian Games moved to West Asia for the second time, this time hosted by Doha, Qatar. 9,520 athletes from 45 NOCs participated across 39 sporting disciplines. India improved their showing from Busan in total medals won, but the country’s position at the medal table slid back to eighth. With 10 gold, 17 silver and 26 bronze medals, India won a total of 56 medals, their highest ever since 1982.
India at the 2010 Asian Games
Back in China, the Asian Games was hosted in the port city of Guangzhou. Sporting disciplines increased to 42 and so did the number of athletes to 9704.
India also improved its showing and went on to win 14 gold, 17 silver and 34 bronze medals to finish sixth on the medals tally. India sent their largest-ever contingent of 625 athletes to Guangzhou to participate in 36 sports. It was the country’s best-ever performance by medals hauls, breaching the 1982 mark of 57 total medals. However, 1951 remained the best-ever performance for the nation in terms of gold medals won.
India at the 2014 Asian Games
The Asian Games returned to South Korea and Incheon was the host city. The number of sporting disciplines reduced to 37 and the number of athletes to 9501.
India slipped below its Guangzhou showing and could win only 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze medals to finish at the eighth position in the medals tally. 541 athletes from the country participated across 28 sports.
India at the 2018 Asian Games
Indonesia hosted the Asian Games for the second time and after a gap of 54 years since 1964 Jakarta Asian Games. The 2018 games were jointly hosted by the cities of Jakarta and Palembang. The sporting disciplines increased to 46 and the number of athletes for the first time crossed the 10,000 mark.
570 athletes from India participated in 36 sporting disciplines and produced the country’s best-ever show at the continental event. India won 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze medals.
With a total of 71 medals, India broke the record for the most medals (65) achieved during the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. 16 was also the highest number of gold medals won by India at any Asian Games, breaking the previous record of 15 achieved at the inaugural 1951 Asian Games held in Delhi.
India's performance at all the Asian Games from 1951 to 2018
India's performance at all the Asian Games from 1951 to 2018
