Global sports stars including Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, 30, and South Korean esports player Lee Sang-hyeok, 30, of T1 will compete at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which open on Sept. 19.
AFP reported on Sept. 15 its selection of the leading stars set to light up the Games. The event draws about 17,000 athletes from 45 national Olympic committees under the Olympic Council of Asia, with marquee names representing each sport.
Taiwan boxing — Lin Yu-ting
The most closely watched athlete is Lin Yu-ting, the gold medalist in the women's 57-kilogram boxing division at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the center of a dispute over sex eligibility, Lin was disqualified from a world championship run by the International Boxing Federation on the grounds of having XY chromosomes.
Lin nonetheless competed at the Olympics under the International Olympic Committee and won the title, drawing controversy. The IOC pushed back against what it called excessive criticism, saying Lin "was born and raised as a woman" and is listed as female on her passport.
Korean esports — Faker, Lee Sang-hyeok
Lee Sang-hyeok, a member of South Korea's national team in the video game League of Legends, is seeking a second consecutive Asian Games title. AFP described Lee as one of the very best players in esports and named him a key storyline to follow.
Philippine tennis — Alexandra Eala
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines is rated a contender for gold in women's singles tennis. She became the first Philippine player to win on the Women's Tennis Association tour and beat world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland at Wimbledon this year. A bronze medalist at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, Eala has climbed to No. 18 in the world rankings and plans to travel to Japan after finishing the Singapore Open.
Chinese swimming — Yu Zidi
Teenage newcomers are also drawing attention. Yu Zidi, a 13-year-old Chinese swimmer, will compete in the 200-meter butterfly, the 200-meter individual medley and the 400-meter medley relay. At age 12 last year, she won bronze in the women's 800-meter freestyle relay at the world championships, becoming the youngest medalist at the event. In March this year, she beat multiple Olympic medalist Regan Smith of the United States to win the 200-meter butterfly at the China Open.
Japanese swimming — Shin Ohashi
Shin Ohashi, a 17-year-old Japanese swimming prospect, also made the list. Ohashi clocked 2 minutes 6.59 seconds in the junior 200-meter butterfly, close to the world record of 2:05.48 held by China's Qin Haiyang.
Elsewhere, Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, 23, the first Sri Lankan track and field athlete to win a Diamond League title, is mentioned as a strong favorite in the men's javelin. Misa Nishiyama, 16, of Japan, who won the floor exercise at last year's world junior championships, is also targeting gold in artistic gymnastics on home soil.
