Over six days of individual and team events, athletes will join 2,700 athletes competing at the Asian Para Games in 18 sports. Results and coverage will be available at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 website.

Anri Sakurai will lead the charge in wheelchair fencing for hosts Japan. Having made her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Sakurai has gone on to make an impact on the international stage, building a catalogue of podium finishes. 

They include eight World Cup silver and bronze medals in epee and five in foil, and her first gold which came in the latter in 2025. 

In addition, at Paris 2024, Sakurai swept to a fifth-place finish in the foil. The Japanese fencer also grabbed bronze in the women’s epee at the 2023 Asian Para Games. 

Speaking on the Para Fencing Podcast about a home Championships and Games, Sakurai said: 

“Competing back home in Japan feels very special. So it’s our second major Games for our country. But as everyone knows, there were no spectators in the stand at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics because of the pandemic. 

“So, I’m very excited for Japan and for people to watch wheelchair fencing up close and see just how fast it is and how much it’s about outsmarting my opponents. For me, it’s also a chance to bring everything I’ve run over onto the piste and really show my own style of fencing.” 

On the opportunity that Aichi-Nagoya presents, as her first chance to secure qualification points for the LA 2028 Paralympics, Sakurai said: 

“Qualifying is a very long process. So I think it’s important not to get too caught up in every single result and just keep improving. Right now, I’m really focusing on listening to my body, getting myself in good shape and bringing things up step by step. 

“I see Aichi Nagoya as a chance to figure out what’s working well and what I still need to work on and take those lessons into the next competitions. I want to take it one competition at a time while keeping the bigger picture in mind. Ultimately, the goal is to be at my best at LA.” 

One of Sakurai’s biggest opponents is Thailand’s Saysunee Jana who, after three decades in the sport, remains one of the top women’s category B fencers. 

Jana made history at Paris 2024 becoming the first woman to win Paralympic titles in all three weapons. This season Jana has continued her winning ways, securing three World Cup golds in epee and foil across editions. The Thai legend is also the defending Asian champion in both weapons and the reigning world champion in epee. 

A third fencer to watch in the women’s category B is Nga Ting Tong from Hong Kong, China, the hosts of the 2027 Para Fencing World Championships. Ting Tong is the world No. 2 in foil and No. 3 in the epee. 

China will hope to cement their dominance in wheelchair fencing across events with a strong team formed of world and Paralympic champions. 

These include three-time Paralympian and winner of three Paralympic titles over the course of his career, Yanke Feng. 

Feng is the reigning Paralympic and world champion in the men’s sabre category B and also grabbed silver in foil at Paris 2024 and the World Championships in Iksan, South Korea, last year. 

The Chinese team also show great depth in the women’s competition. Zou Xufeng is the Paralympic champion in the foil category A, Haiyan Gu in the sabre category A and Yuandong Chen in the epee category A. 

Also in the women’s category A, six-time Paralympian and seven-time champion Yu Chui Yee of Hong Kong, China, will line-up. 

In the team events, of which nine will be contested at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, China are the Paralympic gold medallists in four. However, the formats and Paralympic medal events have changed since Paris 2024 and countries are having to adapt to the new conditions. 

At LA 2028 and at every qualifier in the build-up, the team epee and foil will be contested by mixed teams whilst the sabre will return as separate men’s and women’s team events. The winning target has also changed with 45 points no longer the goal. In epee and foil, just four relays to 20 points will make-up a match and in sabre, six relays to 30 points. Fencers will also face opponents within their own category and gender. 

To promote and preserve the wider body of team events not on the Paralympic programme, golds will also be up for grabs in the mixed team sabre and men’s and women’s team foil and epee. 

Paralympic silver medallists and 2023 world champions Iraq, who at Paris 2024 were formed of Ammar Ali, Zainaulabdeen Al-Madhkhooori and Hayder Al-Ogaili, are another team to watch in the men’s team epee. 

The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games open on Sunday (18 October) with wheelchair fencing getting underway on Monday. Six days of individual and team competition across men’s and women’s foil, epee and sabre category A and will follow.