Asian Games 2026: Quimcy Dsouza Leads India’s September 19 Schedule Ahead of Opening Ceremony

India’s campaign at the Asian Games 2026 continues on Saturday, September 19, with teqball player Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza set to compete in the women’s singles semifinal before the official opening ceremony in Nagoya, Japan. While the Games formally begin with the ceremony, several sporting events have already started.

Quimcy will be India’s main athlete in action on Saturday morning. She booked her place in the last four after an impressive opening day in the women’s singles teqball competition. On Friday, the Indian player defeated Japan’s top-seeded Yuina Sakamoto 2-1 in her opening Group A match. She followed that performance with a 2-0 victory over Cambodia’s Koemyean DY, finishing at the top of her group and earning a direct passage to the semifinals.

The 24-year-old will face Indonesia’s Sumaya in the semifinal at 6:30 am IST. A victory would secure India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in teqball. Even in the event of a semifinal defeat, Dsouza will have another opportunity to claim a bronze medal in the third-place playoff on Sunday.

Teqball is among six sports making their Asian Games debut at the Aichi-Nagoya edition. The other new disciplines are mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, BMX freestyle and virtual taekwondo. Teqball combines elements of football and table tennis and is played on a specially designed curved table.

The focus will then shift to the Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony, scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm IST at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya. The ceremony is being held under the theme “Harmonic Heart Beat”, reflecting the idea of athletes and cultures coming together through sport.