Chinese brands score big at 20th Asian Games
The 20th Asian Games opened in Nagoya on the evening of September 19, with the final torchbearer lighting a heart-shaped cauldron before a roaring stadium.
Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson has been named the men's Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, following his gold medal victories in the 100m and 200m events. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) awarded Puripol, with the official recognition set to be presented on October 4th. He shattered Asian Games records in both races, achieving a 200m time of 19.88 seconds that matched the Asian record.
Puripol also claimed silver in the mixed 4x100m relay. The OCA grants an MVP honor to one male and one female athlete at each Asian Games. The women's MVP for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 edition has yet to be officially announced. Puripol's award, worth US$25,000 (approximately 830,000 baht), makes him the first athlete from outside China, Japan, and South Korea to receive the men's MVP since its inception in 1998.
The first MVP award was given at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, initially as a combined male and female prize, which were later separated in 2022. Notable past recipients include Japan's Koji Ito in 1998, Kosuke Kitajima in 2002, Park Tae-hwan of South Korea in 2006, China's Lin Dan in 2010, Kosuke Hagino of Japan in 2014, and Rikako Ikee of Japan in 2018.
In 2022, Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei of China were honored as the men's and women's MVPs respectively.
Written by urgent.news from Khaosod English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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