Nagoya, Japan, September 29, 2026: World records, Asian records, Asian Games records…the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 has produced some world-class moments – and will continue to do so right through to the closing ceremony on October 4.
In order to honour the remarkable achievements of Asia’s golden champions, the Olympic Council of Asia will select the Female Athlete and Male Athlete Most Valuable Player of the Asian Games.
A five-strong awards panel will each choose their best female and male athlete of Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and the athletes with the most votes from the five panel members will be announced as the MVP.
The OCA will present a prize of USD25,000 for each of the two MVPs.
The Chair of the OCA Asian Games MVP Awards Selection Panel, Mr. Tayyab Ikram, said: “The standard of the competition has been exceptional throughout the 20th Asian Games.
“We have seen new stars emerge and established athletes continue to dominate across a wide range of sports.
“It is only right that the OCA selects our two MVPs – female and male – and acknowledges the amazing performances that have made headlines around the world.”
Mr. Ikram added: “With so many wonderful candidates, it is going to be a very hard decision for every member of the panel.
“The Asian Games MVP Awards has become a great tradition since it was introduced at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and the list of previous winners stands up against any athletes in the world.”
Panel members will consider world records, Asian records and Asian Games records achieved by Asian athletes, as well as the number of gold medals won in this 20th edition of the Asiad.
The announcement will be made on Sunday, October 4 – the day of the closing ceremony.
The five panel members are:
*Mr. Tayyab Ikram, Chair, OCA Coordination Committee for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026
*Mr. Song Luzeng, Chair, OCA Sports Committee
*Ms. Ding Ning, Chair, OCA Athletes Committee
*Mr. Vinod Kumar Tiwari, OCA Deputy Director General and OCA HQ administration representative
*Mr. Jeremy Walker, Editor, OCA Sporting Asia newsletter.
Asian Games MVP Roll of Honour
Bangkok 1998: Koji Ito (Japan) - Athletics
Busan 2002: Kosuke Kitajima (Japan) - Swimming
Doha 2006: Park Tae-hwan (Korea) - Swimming
Guangzhou 2010: Lin Dan (China) - Badminton
Incheon 2014: Kosuke Hagino (Japan) - Swimming
Jakarta-Palembang 2018: Rikako Ikee (Japan) - Swimming
Hangzhou 2022*: Male MVP – Qin Haiyang (China) – Swimming. Female MVP – Zhang Yufei (China) - Swimming
*The award was originally presented to one individual, male or female. At the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, the OCA decided to have a Female and Male MVP to show their commitment to gender equality.