Athletics is the single biggest medal sport at the Asian Games, and Aichi-Nagoya 2026 keeps that crown. The programme carries 50 gold medals, more than any other sport at the Games, split into 24 men’s events, 24 women’s events and two mixed events. Swimming is next with 41, then shooting with 28, which tells you how much of the medal table runs through the track, the field and the roads of Nagoya.
Before the fixtures, one straight answer, because it is the thing readers actually want to know and most pages fudge it: the event-by-event finals timetable has not been published yet. The organising committee (AINAGOC) has confirmed the venues, the 50-event programme and the competition window, but the heat-by-heat, final-by-final grid — including the times for the 100m and 200m — is still to come. This page lays out everything that is confirmed now, and the daily grid is built and ready to fill the moment the official session schedule lands.
The 20th Asian Games run from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Details below are drawn from AINAGOC’s official sport pages and the published competition programme; timings are subject to change.
Asian Games 2026 Athletics: Key Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Sport | Athletics (track & field, marathon, race walk) |
| Gold medals | 50 (24 men, 24 women, 2 mixed) |
| Track & field venue | Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium (Paloma Mizuho Stadium) |
| Marathon & race walk | Aichi Prefectural Government and Nagoya City Halls Loop Course |
| Competition window | Second half of the Games (see note on dates below) |
| Games period | 19 September – 4 October 2026 |
| Event-by-event times | Not yet released by AINAGOC |
A Note on the Dates (Read This Before You Plan)
The exact athletics window has moved between schedule versions, so it is worth being precise rather than confident-and-wrong:
- The competition schedule AINAGOC released in January 2026 listed track and field on 20–25 September, with the marathon on the following weekend (26–27 September).
- More recent guides working from the Version 5 schedule (dated 6 July 2026) list the athletics window as 23–29 September.
Both versions agree on the shape of it: track and field runs across roughly six days in the back half of the Games, and the marathon is a weekend showpiece. Until AINAGOC publishes the final session-by-session timetable, treat the specific dates as provisional and reconfirm on the official site before booking travel. We update this page the day the final schedule is posted.
Asian Games 2026 Athletics Schedule
This is the structure the daily programme will follow. We will drop the confirmed events into each day as soon as the official timetable is released.
| Day | Session | Confirmed events |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (track & field) | Morning / evening | To be confirmed by AINAGOC |
| Day 2 | Morning / evening | To be confirmed |
| Day 3 | Morning / evening | To be confirmed |
| Day 4 | Morning / evening | To be confirmed |
| Day 5 | Morning / evening | To be confirmed |
| Day 6 (final track night) | Evening | To be confirmed |
| Marathon day (weekend) | Morning | Men’s & women’s marathon |
| Race walk day(s) | Morning | Race walk finals (loop course) |
The Complete Athletics Programme — All 50 Events
Here is the full medal programme. Every event below is contested for both men and women unless marked otherwise, and the two mixed events are listed at the end. That is 24 + 24 + 2 = 50 golds.
Sprints & middle distance (track) 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m — men’s and women’s.
Hurdles & steeplechase 110m hurdles (men) / 100m hurdles (women), 400m hurdles, 3000m steeplechase — men’s and women’s.
Relays 4×100m relay and 4×400m relay — men’s and women’s.
Jumps (field) High jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump — men’s and women’s.
Throws (field) Shot put, discus throw, hammer throw, javelin throw — men’s and women’s.
Combined events Decathlon (men) and heptathlon (women).
Road events Marathon and race walk — men’s and women’s, run on the city loop course rather than in the stadium.
Mixed events 4×400m mixed relay, plus the mixed race walk relay — the two events that make up the “mixed” column of the programme.
If you are searching for a single discipline (say, “Asian Games 2026 javelin” or “Asian Games marathon 2026”), all of it sits inside these 50 events.
The Two Venues
Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium (Paloma Mizuho Stadium). The main stadium of the Games. Following a full renovation it seats roughly 30,000, and it hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as all track and field events. The marathon also starts and finishes here before heading out onto the city course.
Aichi Prefectural Government and Nagoya City Halls Loop Course. The dedicated road course through central Nagoya used for the race walk, and the loop the marathon runs after leaving the stadium. Road events are the one part of the athletics programme you can watch live, in person, for free — no ticket is needed to line the route.
How the Competition Works
Track events run as heats and semi-finals building to a final, with the sprints and relays typically saved for prime evening sessions. Field events move from a qualifying round to a final, except for the smaller fields that go straight to a one-round final. The combined events — the men’s decathlon over two days and the women’s heptathlon — are their own mini-competitions scored on points across ten and seven disciplines respectively. The marathon and the race walk are single, one-shot finals on the road.
Because so many finals are packed into a short window, athletics is where the overall medal table usually takes its shape. Expect several golds decided every evening once the finals begin.
Athletes and Nations to Watch
Athletics is the most globally spread sport at the Games, and the contenders come from right across the continent rather than one or two nations.
China is the benchmark on the overall track and field medal count, with particular strength in the throws (Olympic and world medallist Gong Lijiao has long led the women’s shot put), the sprints and the race walk. Japan, competing at home, is strongest in the distance events, the men’s sprints and the relays, and a home crowd tends to lift them.
The Gulf brings some of the biggest individual stars in Asian athletics. Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, one of the greatest high jumpers in history, is a marquee name whenever he competes, and Qatar and Bahrain are forces from 800m upwards. Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi, among the fastest women ever over the 3000m steeplechase, is a headline act in the distance events.
The javelin could be the ticket of the Games: India’s Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic and world champion and defending Asian Games champion, against Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist, is a genuine world-class rivalry. Elsewhere, Singapore’s Shanti Pereira is the region’s leading sprinter, the Philippines’ EJ Obiena is a world-level pole vaulter, and India also carries medal threats in the men’s 3000m steeplechase (Avinash Sable), the hurdles and the shot put. Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia all bring individual finalists, and in the marathon and race walk the seasoned Japanese and Chinese road squads set the pace.
Where to Watch Asian Games 2026 Athletics
Broadcast rights are split by territory. Across the Indian subcontinent, the Games are carried on the Sony Sports Network with live streaming on Sony LIV. In other regions, national broadcasters and the host’s official channels handle coverage, and many federations stream their own athletes’ events. For the exact live option in your country, check your local rights holder or the official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 platforms, which will also host live results and the medal table once competition starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many gold medals are there in athletics at the Asian Games 2026? Fifty in total — 24 men’s events, 24 women’s events and two mixed events. It is the largest medal programme of any sport at the Games.
When does athletics start at the Asian Games 2026? The track and field programme runs across roughly six days in the second half of the Games. The January 2026 schedule listed 20–25 September; more recent Version 5 guides list 23–29 September. AINAGOC has not yet released event-by-event finals times, so confirm the final dates on the official site.
Where is athletics being held? Track and field is at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium (Paloma Mizuho Stadium), which also stages the ceremonies. The marathon and race walk use the Aichi Prefectural Government and Nagoya City Halls Loop Course through central Nagoya.
Can I watch the marathon and race walk for free? Yes. Both are held on open city roads and do not require a ticket, which makes them the easiest way to see world-class athletics live in person.
Which country is strongest in Asian Games athletics? China has topped the athletics medal table in recent editions, with Japan, the Gulf nations (Qatar and Bahrain), India and the Central Asian countries all major medal producers.
Is the full event-by-event timetable available yet? Not at the time of writing. AINAGOC has confirmed the venues, the 50-event programme and the competition window, but the detailed session schedule is still to be published. This page will be updated the moment it is.
Related coverage: Asian Games 2026 Schedule (main hub) · Swimming Schedule · Badminton Schedule · How to Watch Asian Games 2026
Programme and dates per AINAGOC official sport pages and the published competition schedule (Version 5, 6 July 2026). Event timings subject to change; reconfirm on the official site before travelling.
