With 163 players from 10 nations set to compete, wheelchair basketball will be one of the highlights in team sports at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games. The competition will be held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya from 16 to 23 October, bringing together leading men’s and women’s teams from across Asia.
Japan, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Thailand will all arrive with recent Asian Para Games experience, with their performances at Hangzhou 2022 providing an indication of the high intensity competition expected in Aichi-Nagoya.
For Japan, the tournament offers an opportunity to build on their successful Hangzhou campaign, where the men’s team won gold and the women’s team claimed silver.
Japan: The Team to Beat?
Japan’s men’s team produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the Hangzhou 2022 wheelchair basketball competition, edging the Republic of Korea 47-45 in the gold-medal match.
Trailing 27-19 at half-time, Japan fought back to edge the Republic of Korea 47-45 in the final. Koki Maruyama scored a crucial late basket in the comeback, and both Maruyama and Renshi Chokai will be looking to help Japan defend its men’s title in Aichi-Nagoya.
Japan’s women also reached the gold-medal match in Hangzhou, securing silver after losing 61-30 to China. Mayo Hagino is one of the players who will carry that experience into the home Games as Japan looks to challenge for the women’s title this time around.
Japan also arrives with recent World Championship experience from Ottawa 2026, where the men’s team reached the sixth-place play-off and the women’s team finished eighth. The men’s side lost 72-67 to the USA in the fifth-place game, with Chokai scoring 29 points, giving Japan another strong test against the world’s leading teams before returning to Asian competition.
With both Japanese teams competing on home soil, the hosts will be aiming to build on their men’s gold and women’s silver from Hangzhou and once again establish themselves among Asia’s wheelchair basketball leaders.
China: Women’s Champions
China will enter Aichi-Nagoya as the defending women’s champions after defeating Japan 61-30 in the Hangzhou 2022 final.
Lin Suiling led the way with 21 points in the final, and will be looking to play a key role again as China aims to defend its women’s title in Aichi-Nagoya.
The victory underlined China’s strength in the women’s competition and gave the team a strong platform heading into another Asian Para Games.
China also competed at the Ottawa 2026 World Championships, where the women’s team finished fifth. That experience against the world’s leading teams provides another reference point for China’s preparations as it returns to Asian competition.
South Korea and Iran: Challengers With Proven Pedigree
The Republic of Korea will arrive with unfinished business after coming within two points of the men’s gold medal in Hangzhou.
Its 47-45 defeat to Japan in the final was one of the closest results of the tournament. Cho Seunghyun, who scored 18 points in the final, will be among the players looking to help Korea go one step further in Aichi-Nagoya.
Iran also secured a place on the men’s podium in Hangzhou, defeating China 79-35 to claim bronze.
The result confirmed Iran’s position among Asia’s strongest men’s wheelchair basketball teams, giving the side a proven medal-winning record heading into Aichi-Nagoya.
With both Korea and Iran returning to the competition, Japan’s route to another men’s title is unlikely to be straightforward.
Thailand: A Rising Threat
Thailand could provide another storyline in both competitions.
The Thai women’s team claimed bronze at Hangzhou 2022, defeating Iran 46-31 in the third-place match. The result placed Thailand among the leading women’s teams in Asia and demonstrated its ability to compete for medals against established opponents. Thailand will return to Aichi-Nagoya competitions, giving the country another opportunity to build on its Hangzhou performances.
