India loses to Japan in men's Sepaktakraw semis, earns bronze
The Indian men's Sepaktakraw team secured a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games after losing to Japan in the semifinals. The women's team was also defeated in their preliminary group match against Thailand.
Why it matters
It provides an update on India's performance in niche international sports at a major continental event.
The Indian team went down fighting 0-2 to hosts Japan in the men's quadrant semifinals to settle for a bronze medal in the Sepaktakraw competition of the Asian Games on Friday (October 2, 2026).
India lost the last-four match 12-15, 13-15.
The second set was more intense with the Indian team fighting hard but kept trailing Japan throughout, even narrowing the difference to 13-14 in the final stages.
India had earlier won each of their Group A matches to top the group defeating Laos (2-0), Vietnam (2-0) and Myanmar (2-1).
On the other hand, Japan had finished second in Group B, having started their campaign with a defeat to Indonesia 1-2. The hosts defeated Singapore and Korea to make the semifinals.
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