Olympic medalists among delegation to Asian Games

Taiwan is to send 482 athletes, including several Olympic medalists, to compete in 34 sports at the Asian Games in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture later this month, the Ministry of Sports said.

Some of the biggest names in the delegation include Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold medalist Lin Yu-ting, Olympic gold medalist weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, Olympic silver medalist judoka Yang Yung-wei and gymnast Lee Chih-kai, the first Taiwanese athlete to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics.

At 45, sport shooter Lin Yi-chun is the oldest member of the Taiwanese delegation. She would be representing Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, at the Asian Games for the eighth time.

Gold medalist Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan celebrates on the podium after the women’s 57kg boxing final during the Paris Olympic Games in France on Aug. 10, 2024.

Photo: AFP

Gymnastics is the largest sport in the delegation, with 37 gymnasts competing, followed by e-sports, with 33 athletes, the ministry said.

Most of the athletes competing at the Asian Games began training as early as August 2024, with intensive training sessions beginning in July.

Minister of Sports Lee Yang last month said that the delegation also includes 10 sports medicine physicians, as well as more than 100 athletic trainers and therapists, to provide better care for the athletes.

The Asian Games, also known as Aichi-Nagoya 2026, are to be held from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 at venues across Aichi Prefecture in Japan.

Taiwan’s delegation won a record 19 gold medals at a single Asian Games on two occasions — at the 1998 Bangkok Games and the most recent edition in Hangzhou, China, in 2022.

Taiwan finished sixth in the overall medal standings at both editions.

The Asian Games are the world’s second-largest multi-sport event, after the Olympic Games.