Saudi Arabia will send 144 athletes in 19 disciplines to the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, which open in Japan in mid-September, the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) announced, naming 11 Olympic and Paralympic priority sports for podium finishes.

At the periodic sports sector conference, SOPC CEO and Secretary-General Abdulaziz Baeshen listed the priority sports as athletics, judo, taekwondo, karate, jujitsu, swimming, weightlifting, shooting, equestrian, fencing and wrestling. He said the approach was benchmarked against leading international models in which a handful of sports account for up to 80% of top medal hauls.

To build long-term capability, the committee approved a sports scholarship initiative with the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Education that will send 50 elite athletes a year to top sports universities worldwide. Baeshen also pointed to new specialized national training centers, including combat sports centers in Jeddah and Riyadh, comprehensive elite facilities under development, and athletics centers in Bisha, Jazan and Madinah.

Athletes qualified for the squad by ranking in Asia's top eight in individual events or top four in team events, and 48% of the delegation is under 23.

At the 5th Asian Para Games from October 18 to 24, the Kingdom will be represented by 44 athletes in eight sports, with the focus on high performance and on giving young national talent international tournament experience.