Sport
Nepal’s para athletes are approaching the opening of the fifth Asian Para Games in Japan on Sunday, October 18, 2026. The Japanese Paralympic Committee confirms an October 18 opening ceremony and October 24 closing ceremony for Aichi and Nagoya. With the opening now within 72 hours, the event offers Nepal another international sporting focus after the Asian Games. This is an upcoming event preview, not a report of new results, confirmed individual starts or medals already won in Japan.
Nepal’s announced delegation extends beyond a single discipline. Ratopati’s October 9 farewell report said 19 athletes would compete across eight sports, with National Sports Council officials attending the send off in Tripureshwor. Kantipur’s report independently identifies 19 players, eight coaches and 22 officials travelling to Japan. These are the delegation numbers reported before the event, rather than a claim that every named entrant has completed arrival procedures or that all final competition entries have been checked against individual start lists.
Para taekwondo brings a particularly recognisable Nepal connection. The Asian Paralympic Committee’s October 14 preview names Palesha Goverdhan among the athletes to follow. It recalls her bronze at the previous Asian Para Games and her Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze, secured with a 15 to 8 win over Serbia’s Marija Micev in the women’s K44 under 57 kilogram contest. The committee also records a bronze at the 2025 Asian Para Taekwondo Championships in Malaysia. Those achievements establish her background; they do not predict a medal or identify her next opponent.
Athletics provides another substantial part of Nepal’s story. In a profile published October 1 and updated October 3, The Kathmandu Post described seven athletes preparing for the Games. Prabha Angdembe, Shristi Dhewaju, Nawaraj Karki and Chet Narayan Khanal, known as Samir, trained at Dasharath Stadium under former Olympian Bimala Rana Magar. Himal Aryal, Raju Gurung and Mohan Roka trained at the Army Rehabilitation Centre near Balaju. The report described sprint, middle distance, jumping and throwing preparations. Its photograph shows the squad in Kathmandu on September 21, not competitors already in action at the Japanese event.
The official Japanese overview lists 18 sports and 502 events across the wider Games. Its venue table places para athletics at Nagoya’s Mizuho Park athletics stadium and para taekwondo at Mizuho Park gymnasium. Other disciplines use facilities across several municipalities, including para badminton in Ichinomiya and para table tennis at Sky Hall Toyota. The published venue spread is important context: the Games are a regional programme with different competition sites, not one session that every Nepal participant enters together.
Preparations have also covered the practical conditions surrounding competition. In its July 16 coordination meeting report, the Asian Paralympic Committee described work on athlete journeys, ceremonies, media operations and venue readiness. An inspection of Mizuho Park considered accessibility, athlete waiting areas and the opening ceremony route. Those operational details help explain why an international para sport event involves more than the performances visible on the track or competition floor. They are planning background, not an independent assessment of every service delivered during Games week.
For supporters in Nepal, the immediate milestone is the October 18 opening and the chance to follow the announced national contingent. The sporting focus is preparation, participation and performance, without assuming results from past achievements. Individual Nepal session times, opponents and a verified Nepal broadcast arrangement remain unconfirmed here. Any timed viewing reminder should therefore wait for the relevant official schedule rather than treating the ceremony date as the start time for every athlete.
Source publication date: 2026-10-01. Event or reporting period: 2026-10-18 to 2026-10-24.
Sources:The Kathmandu Post, October 1, 2026 Nepal para athletics profile, updated October 3; original source photograph · Japanese Paralympic Committee, official Games overview, dates, programme and venues · Ratopati, October 9, 2026 Nepal delegation farewell report · Kantipur, October 9, 2026 delegation numbers, English translation · Asian Paralympic Committee, October 14, 2026 para taekwondo preview · Asian Paralympic Committee, July 16, 2026 final coordination meeting and venue preparation background
Source: GPT News Feed
