84 Afghan athletes taking part in this year’s Asian Games

Published

3 years ago

September 24, 2023

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s general directorate of physical education and sport said Sunday 84 athletes from Afghanistan are taking part in this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The dazzling opening ceremony was held on Saturday. Athletes from 45 Asian countries are taking part.

According to the directorate 84 athletes plus representatives of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee were also at the ceremony.

The general directorate of physical education and sport said Afghan athletes will be competing in 15 different sports.

In a new development, Esports will make its debut as an official medal event at this year’s Asian Games, with seven gold medals to be awarded across seven game titles: Arena of Valor (Asian Games Version), DOTA 2, Dream of Three Kingdoms 2, League of Legends, Peace Elite (Asian Games Version), Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, and EA Sports FC Online.

Esports kicks off its first competitions on Sunday, September 24 with EA Sports FC Online and Arena of Valor (Asian Games Version) to be the inaugural titles of this historic event.

A total of 476 athletes from 30 National Olympic Committees will compete over nine days, involving 219 matches, with 21 medals to be awarded.

The official draws were conducted for all seven game titles, with Asian Electronic Sports Federation Vice President Lokesh Suji, Sebastian Lau, and the Esports Technical Delegate Steve Kim taking turns drawing countries and regions from the pool.

Esports was a demonstration sport at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018 and will be a full medal sport for the first time in Hangzhou, where games will be played at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre.

The first medal will be presented on Tuesday, September 26 and then there will be one gold medal on offer for the following six days through to Monday, October 2.

Esports has already been confirmed in the programme for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi/Nagoya in 2026.

Sport

India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in first T20I

Arshdeep Singh was India’s leading bowler, taking three wickets for 19 runs. Jasprit Bumrah also returned to the Indian playing XI after missing recent assignments because of a left-knee injury.

Published

10 hours ago

September 13, 2026

Ariana News

India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the series after chasing down a target of 157 in 13.4 overs.

Afghanistan made a positive start after being asked to bat first, but their innings was disrupted by a sharp collapse in the middle overs. They fell from 38/1 to 43/5, losing four wickets for five runs and putting themselves under significant pressure.

The collapse began with a run-out involving Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal. After the ball was played towards deep midwicket, the batters attempted a second run but were unable to complete it. Zadran slipped while turning for the run, allowing Ishan Kishan to finish the dismissal with a direct throw.

Afghanistan’s recovery then depended largely on Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi. Omarzai remained unbeaten on 64 from 44 balls, while Nabi contributed 33 as the pair added important runs to take Afghanistan to 156/8 from their 20 overs.

Arshdeep Singh was India’s leading bowler, taking three wickets for 19 runs. Jasprit Bumrah also returned to the Indian playing XI after missing recent assignments because of a left-knee injury.

Afghanistan’s total left little margin for error against India’s batting line-up, and the hosts quickly took control of the chase. Abhishek Sharma scored 82 from 32 balls, reaching his half-century from 22 deliveries with seven fours and seven sixes.

Sharma’s rapid scoring significantly reduced the required run rate and allowed India to maintain control despite the early dismissal of Sanju Samson, who made 10.

Ishan Kishan then provided further stability, scoring 42 from 33 balls. India reached the target in 13.4 overs, with Kishan helping ensure there was no late pressure in the chase.

The sides will meet for their second T20I on Tuesday.

Fans can watch the match live on Ariana Television Network (ATN).