Sports, by nature, are mostly competitive, often complex and sometimes cruel. But almost always, it's fun. Every now and then we stumble upon a sport that's built around unique concepts that amuse, impress, and most importantly, entertain spectators, and some of these are deep-seated in history while others are younger than a PS5.
Let's look at some of these unique sports that will feature in the Asian Games 2026:
Teqball
If you've ever trained to play football, your coach has probably made you play a noob version of Teqball. How so? It resembles a practice drill in which players replicate table tennis with a football to improve their control and coordination... and that's exactly how it all started. A group of football enthusiasts and former professional players invented the sport in Hungary in 2014 by combining the principles of football and TT. Played on a curved table, Teqball features singles and doubles games. Players have a maximum of three touches on one side before returning the ball, and they cannot touch the ball with the same body part twice in a row. In doubles, teammates must pass the ball to each other at least once. The winner is ultimately decided based on best of three sets, with each set being played up to 12 points.
Having seen a sharp rise in popularity over the last decade, Teqball will make its debut at the 20th Asian Games, featuring five medal categories: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The India's men's doubles Teqball team, Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Mohamed Anas Imran, has been eliminated from the 2026 Asian Games after losing both Group B round-robin fixtures against Vietnam and South Korea, respectively. But there's still hope -- Quimcy Dsouza will represent India in Women's Singles before teaming up with Mohamed Anas and Imran Beg in Mixed Doubles.
Sepak takraw
What's better than punching a ball over the net? Kicking it. Sepak takraw is the perfect sport for those who agree with that sentiment. It is essentially kick-volleyball played in a space roughly the same size as a badminton court. Played between two teams of three athletes each, Sepak takraw requires a spectacular display of acrobatics, with players using their feet, knees, chest, and head to get the woven ball over the net. The use of hands or arms is forbidden, and thus, players use high-flying manoeuvres to score points.
Each team has a Tekong (server), a Feeder (setter), and a Striker (self-explanatory). Although this fast-paced sport has been included in the Asian Games since 1990, India won its first-ever Sepak takraw medal in 2018, with the men's team winning bronze in the Regu (group) event. In 2022, the women's team did the same.
This year, India have named a 21-member squad (12 male athletes and 9 female athletes) who will compete across Team Regu, Quadrant and Doubles.
Kurash
A jacket can be a style statement or your best friend in chilly weather. Unless you're watching Kurash, where it's a weapon. A unique style of wrestling, Kurash dates back over 3500 years in Central Asia, primarily in modern-day Uzbekistan. The objective is to throw your opponent onto their back, but grabbing a leg, choking, kicking, or locking arms is strictly prohibited. Instead, wrestlers must stay standing and can only use their opponents' jacket to execute their move.
How's the match decided? A perfect throw would see the opponent land cleanly on their back with force and speed while maintaining complete control for an instant win. That is called 'Halal', which rules the scoring system in terms of magnitude. The second is Yonbosh, when the opponent lands on their side or back but the move is executed without complete control. Yonbosh is awarded when the throws are just short of perfection, and two of these combines to make a halal. And finally, there's Chala, in which the throw lacks complete control and force.
Kurash was first included in the Asian Games at the 2018 edition in Jakarta-Palembang, where India won medals in the women's 52kg category, with Pincky Balhara taking silver and Malaprabha Jadhav winning bronze.
This year, India is sending a six-member squad to compete in Kurash with Vipin Kumar (-66 kg), Vishal (+90 kg), and Yash Kumar (+90 kg) in the men's team and Bharti (-57 kg), Sangita Balhara (-57 kg) and Pincky Chauhan (-78 kg) in the women's team. The matches are scheduled to begin on September 27.
Puyo Puyo Champions
Think of a color-matching puzzle game. If your first thought was Candy Crush, congratulations, you have an entry level understanding of Puyo Puyo Champions. Making its debut at the 2026 Asian Games, it is an intense video game competition that is a mix of high-speed chess and Tetris in principle. It was developed and published by SEGA in 2018, specially designed to cater to the growing competitive esports scene. The core gameplay features a falling block puzzle, like Tetris, with players required to drop pairs of blobs from the top and rotate them.
The objective is to defeat a live opponent by flooding their screen with 'garbage' by successfully building complex, automated chain reactions. Real-time strategy and deep spatial planning are essential, especially when planning a move to disrupt opponents' sets. The best players often prefer to set up their blocks in a manner that will trigger a massive chain reaction after multiple moves instead of stacking individual layers.
Paritosh will be the sole Indian representative, he defeated the 2018 Asian Games esports demonstration bronze medalist, Tirth Mehta in the qualifier to book his spot. Interestingly, the hosts Japan are set to field 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara, who will be Japan's youngest athlete at the 2026 Asian Games. He earned his professional license earlier this year and is a heavy gold medal favourite. While this author made a disappointing attempt at playing the game for her research, she will surely marvel at the possibility of witnessing the youngest-ever gold medalist in Asian Games history being crowned at the upcoming event.
Wushu
One of the most artistic martial arts, Wushu made its Asian Games debut in 1990 and has been a highly celebrated event ever since. It is split into two primary disciplines. First, there is Taolu, which features compulsory routines and optional weapons or barehanded events, judged on artistic and technical execution. The second is Sanda, in which competitors fight on an elevated 8x8 meter wooden platform covered in foam, also known as 'leitai'. Clean punches, kicks to the body or head, and successful wrestling throws are the most conventional methods to earn points, whereas pushing your opponent completely off the elevated ramp fetches bonus points.
India have previously won 10 medals in Wushu at the Asian Games but have never won the gold. This year, seven Indian athletes competing in the discipline have been split across the full-contact Sanda (combat) and Taolu (routine forms) disciplines, scheduled to run from September 20 to September 24, 2026. Notably, three-time National Games gold medallist Nyeman Wangsu returned to the contingent after being infamously forced to miss the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games when Chinese authorities denied her a proper visa due to her being from Arunachal Pradesh.
Naraka: Bladepoint
Simply put, it's a Battle Royale game like PUBG or Fortnite, but without guns. Instead, players engage in fast-paced, close-quarters melee combat in a tactical triangle featuring basic fast strikes, focused heavy strikes, and parries. Additionally, movement includes ultra-high vertical mobility through grappling hooks, wall-running, and limitless parkour.
Players are dropped from the sky onto a massive map, where they must instantly scavenge for weapons, armour, and healing items while the "Shadow " - a shrinking safe zone - forces them into closer proximity with other players. The game also features a hero-based character system, offering unique active skills and ultimate abilities.
India will not participate in the Naraka: Bladepoint tournament at the Asian Games 2026.
Breaking
Hrithik Roshan's kind of done it. So has Allu Arjun, Prabhu Deva and basically every Indian dance-show -- but unfortunately none will take the field at the 2026 Asian Games. Like the climax of every dance movie, this competition features breakdancers taking turns improvising choreography to a live DJ's music (Step Up, anyone?). A panel of judges evaluates participants on technique, variety, performativity, musicality, and originality to declare the winner.
Breaking made its multi-sport debut at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and it features two medal events: individual men's and women's solo competitions officially termed as B-Boys and B-Girls.
The 2024 Paris Olympics saw Australia's Rachael Gunn become an overnight internet sensation after her routine featuring Australian-inspired moves like the "kangaroo hop" and the "sprinkler" became the subject of widespread memes, and later a Netflix documentary. It was the first and last time that breaking featured in the Olympic Games.