Hearing Majulah Singapura, show of sportsmanship and bad translations: Moments of 2026 Asian Games

The typhoon that sent violent winds and heavy downpours to Japan brought a different meaning to water sports at the swim meet in Tokyo as those involved inevitably ended up getting soaked.

It also rained records in the pool with 17-year-old Shin Ohashi’s sensational men’s 200m breaststroke world record, seven Asian marks and 24 Games records set over six days.

Even without a gold, it was exhilarating as a Singaporean to witness Gan Ching Hwee’s development into a top swimmer at this level as she finished second only to China’s Li Bingjie in the women’s 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, and even led the 800m final with just 150m to go.

Equally, it was emotional to see the local athletes shed tears when their hopes and what they worked so hard for evaporated in mere seconds.

Mikkel Lee was within 0.15sec of a bronze in both the men’s 50m freestyle and butterfly but was undone by an untimely infection to both ears.

It is a reminder that sport can be rewarding and wrenching, and the athletes’ ability to reflect and reset, rinse and repeat, deserves our respect. – David Lee

Majulah Singapura on the Asian stage

Having covered multiple SEA Games campaigns where I followed the exploits of Team Singapore athletes across the region, this was my first Asian Games experience. And it started with a bang.

In the first week, mixed martial arts fighter Tiffany Teo produced a remarkable run to win an unexpected gold medal, which made for a truly unforgettable moment.

Watching her stand atop the podium, as the Singapore national anthem rang out around the venue, will be a core memory from these Games. I am not ashamed to say that it brought tears to my eyes.

It was not just about Teo’s inspiring journey that made the moment so special.

At the SEA Games, with Singapore often winning multiple gold medals, hearing our national anthem can almost become something you take for granted. At the Asian Games, the scale and competition are entirely different. This time, I heard and sang along to Majulah Singapura just once – thanks to Teo – as athletes, representatives and fans from some of Asia’s biggest sporting nations stood in silence and listened. 

For me, that was what the Asian Games was all about: Seeing Singaporean athletes rise to the fore on the biggest stage in Asia and proudly put our little red dot on the map. – Deepanraj Ganesan

Lost in translation

Getting around with my limited Japanese at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 was supposed to be seamless, with help from technology.

Instead, relying on Google Translate turned simple logistics into a circus of miscommunication.

Before players trudged onto the pitch for the group-stage football match between Kuwait and Uzbekistan, I turned to the app to translate crowd control instructions from the venue’s Japanese photo manager.

Expecting something straightforward, I got riddle-like instructions for an escape room instead.

First, the app explained: “Once the player is completely inside, this rope will become a straight line… And, move the group photo.”

Move for the photo, got it.

Things escalated into bizarre geopolitics territory later: “Um, at the point the flag goes in, it goes to the post-war and before.”

To top it off, live translation revealed a suggestive personality.

Whenever I paused to clear my throat or collect my thoughts, my hesitant filler sounds were captured with alarming precision.

Rather than translating actual spoken words, the app broadcasted a rhythmic, “ah, ah, ah, ah, ah” through the speakers and at the highest volume.

My desperate request for directions instantly morphed into a robotic, highly uncomfortable climax of non-verbal dialogue right in front of venue staff.

Thank you, Google Translate, you did not just break the language barrier; you catapulted me into an entirely different dimension. – Kevin Lim

Victory and empathy

Amid the euphoria of victory and agony of defeat, one quiet moment stood out at the Aichi Budokan on Oct 1 during the men’s jiu-jitsu competition. Singaporean Noah Lim, competing in the Under-69kg class, had just defeated his Saudi Arabian opponent Elyas Banjar in the round of 16.

Rising from the mat, Lim turned to the crowd with his hands raised, while Elyas remained hunched over, absolutely devastated. After soaking in his win, Lim sat down beside his opponent, who was still on the ground, and waited patiently for him to gather himself before consoling him with a long embrace. Elyas buried his head in Lim’s shoulder, sobbing as he reciprocated the gesture.

Among the fist-pumping, self-hyping celebratory screams seen during these Games, this simple gesture of empathy during a moment of triumph was a refreshing sight. I’m glad to know that, even in adrenaline-fuelled moments, an athlete can still display empathy and humanity, when you least expect it.

Although Lim was knocked out in the semi-finals and had to settle for joint-fifth place, his heart of gold may yet better the gold won by a champion. – Mark Cheong

South-east Asia’s rise

Up against the continent’s best in track and field, South-east Asian’s athletes made their presence known as they delivered historic performances at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.

Thailand’s Puripol Boonson blitzed the field in the 100m and 200m to cement his status as the continent’s fastest man in both events, breaking the Games record twice in the blue-riband event while equalling the Asian record in the longer distance.

Singapore’s sprint queen Shanti Pereira also wrote a slice of history as she became the first woman to retain her 200m title at the Asiad, while the Philippines’ Ernest Obiena rewrote his own meet record in the men’s pole vault to claim back-to-back golds.

While traditional powerhouses China and Japan still occupied the top two spots on the medal table, it was inspiring to see our region’s track and field athletes taking on Asia’s big guns with confidence and show that they belong on that stage. – Kimberly Kwek