Hopes, ambitions, aspirations, and dreams soar as the ultimate test gets underway in Aichi-Nagoya! The 2026 Asian Games in Japan have officially begun, offering India a golden opportunity to demonstrate and strengthen its rising stature in world sports. It also provides a prime forum to showcase India’s ambition of breaking into the global top 10 within the next decade.

The streamlined Commonwealth Games in Glasgow offered an early hint that the trend has shifted from merely participating to winning laurels, with the Indian contingent finishing a commendable fourth thanks to strong efforts from weightlifters, boxers, athletes, judokas, and para-athletes. For a nation aspiring to host the 2036 Olympics, establishing itself as a true sporting power is an absolute necessity, making the Asian Games an ideal proving ground.

Experts share widespread confidence that this optimism is well-founded. Former world championship long jump medalist Anju Bobby George expressed a positive outlook in the media, predicting that athletics alone could........

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