Hurra, Maldives, September 19, 2025: Hawwa Zaaya Hassan believes the Asian Games is simply not just about winning medals, but rather about building bridges between nations.
The 16-year-old schoolgirl was declared winner of the Asian Youth Reporter project in the Maldives in front of hundreds of her fellow-Huraa islanders during the Fun Run on Friday, September 19.
“It was as if the entire island had turned up to cheer for her,” said Jeans Zhou Jian, OCA Director of Media and Broadcasting. “She is a popular figure and it was good to see her win in front of her home crowd.”
Hawwa, was one of 14 participants in the Asian Youth Reporter project conducted by the OCA in conjunction with the Maldives Olympic Committee and the Organising Committee for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She will join the OCA media team at next year’s showpiece.
In her winning essay, Hawwa wrote: “The Asian Games is not just about winning medals. It’s about building bridges between nations, celebrating human potential. I know attending it as a reporter would have an everlasting impact on me and help me grow into a professional sports journalist.”
She will now join six other previous winners in Aichi-Nagoya during the September 19 to October 4, 2026 showpiece. The other six are: Bhutan’s Meera Regmi, Tajikistan’s Rumayza Norova, Naranbat Serjmaa from Mongolia, Lebanese Zaynab Kawtharani, Katie Speldewinde from Sri Lanka, and Hana Al Dayyat from Jordan.
“What I am most looking forward to at the Asian Games is the incredible atmosphere, the energy, excitement and unity felt at major international events. I’m also looking forward to cheering on the Maldives, and watch our athletes with pride as they compete on the international stage,” Hawwa added.
As part of the OCA’s ‘Asian Games for All’ initiative, it is hoped that 10 young reporters from across Asia will join the OCA’s media team in Aichi-Nagoya next September.
