Indian Teqball Duo Stumbles in Group Stage at Asian Games 2026

When the Aichi‑Nagoya Games kicked off a couple of days before the grand opening ceremony, all eyes were on a modest, curved table where football meets table‑tennis – teqball. For India, it was historic: Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg were set to become the nation’s first teqball athletes at the Asian Games.

The pair entered Group B with confidence, fresh off a bronze at the 2024 World Championships in Vietnam. But confidence turned into disappointment on September 17, when they met Vietnam’s Truong Giang Ba and Anh Khoa Le. The Vietnamese duo edged them out 12‑10, 12‑8, leaving the Indian scoreline at 0‑2.

Undeterred, Gonsalves and Beg tried to regroup for their second encounter, this time against South Korea’s Junsuk Lee and Taebeen Lee. The Korean pair proved too strong, sealing a 12‑4, 12‑7 victory. Two losses, no points – the Indian duo’s Asian Games journey ended before the quarter‑finals even began.

Teqball itself made its Asian Games debut in Nagoya, with five medal events spanning singles, doubles and mixed doubles. India sent three athletes: the men’s doubles pair, Beg’s mixed‑doubles partner Quimcy Dsouza, and Dsouza in the women’s singles.

While the Indian teqball team’s outing was brief, the sport’s arrival marks a new chapter for the continent’s biggest multi‑sport event. Hopefully the experience will sow the seeds for better results in the next edition.