Nagoya, Japan, October 4, 2026: The Olympic Council of Asia today announced the two recipients of the Most Valuable Player Award at the 20thAsian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
The Female MVP is Yu Zidi (China, Swimming)
The Male MVP is Puripol Boonson (Thailand, Athletics)
Each of the two winners will receive a prize of USD25,000 from the OCA.
YU ZIDI (CHINA)
Aged just 13, Yu won three gold medals in the Women’s 200m Butterfly, Women’s 200m Individual Medley and Women’s 400m Individual Medley. She set three Games Records and one Asian Record.
In the 200m Butterfly on September 20, Yu set a Games Record of 2:05.08.
In the 200m Individual Medley on September 21, Yu’s 2:06.10 was not only a Games Record but also an Asian Record.
In the 400m Individual Medley on September 23, Yu clocked 4:28.56 to establish a Games Record.
PURIPOL BOONSON (THAILAND)
The Thai flyer, aged 20, surged to a 100m-200m sprint double, setting a total of four Asian Games Records and equalling one Asian Record.
In the men’s 100m on September 25, Boonson won gold in an Asian Games Record of 9.90 seconds, beating his own Asian Games Record of 9.91 seconds set in the semi-finals.
In the men’s 200m on September 27, Boonson raced to an Asian Games Record of 19.88 seconds, breaking his own Games Record of 20.10 set the previous day. His gold medal-winning time of 19.88 also equalled the Asian Record.
Boonson also won a silver medal in the 4x100m mixed relay.
The Chair of the OCA MVP Awards Panel, Mr. Tayyab Ikram, said: “The five members of the panel had a very difficult job selecting the Female and Male MVP of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
“This is testament to the exceptional quality of the athletes and to the high level of competition throughout the Asian Games.
“Our two winners not only registered a series of Asian Games Records and Asian Records but also established themselves as Asian sports superstars around the world. We are convinced that their performances here at the Asian Games will be a stepping stone to greater things in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
“They made a huge impact on the spectators and media at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and have time on their side to build on this success and win many more gold medals in the future.
“OCA would like to congratulate Zu Yidi, Puripol Boonson and all our Asian athletes for putting on a tremendous show at the 20th Asian Games and for providing sporting memories that will last a lifetime.”
Previous winners of the OCA Asian Games MVP Award
1998: Koji Ito (Japan, Athletics)
2002: Kosuke Kitajima (Japan, Swimming)
2006: Park Tae-hwan (Korea, Swimming)
2010: Lin Dan (China, Badminton)
2014: Kosuke Hagino (Japan, Swimming)
2018: Rikako Ikee (Japan, Swimming)
2022: Male MVP: Qin Haiyang (China, Swimming). Female MVP: Zhang Yufei (China, Swimming)
The five-member panel was comprised of:
Mr. Tayyab Ikram, Chair, OCA Coordination Committee for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Mr. Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Deputy Director General, OCA, representative of OCA HQ administrative staff
Ms. Ding Ning, Chair, OCA Athletes Committee
Mr. Song Luzeng, Chair, OCA Sports Committee
Mr. Jeremy Walker, Editor, OCA Sporting Asia Newsletter
