Asian Para Games 2026: Singapore’s Para-Athletes Ready to Make Waves at Aichi-Nagoya Games

Team Singapore was represented by 14 athletes and officials at the Games' opening ceremony. Photo: SNPC/ Dyan Tjhia

Like Uzumin, the Games’ whirlpool-inspired mascot, Singapore’s athletes have converged in Aichi-Nagoya, ready to make waves at the 5th Asian Para Games.

The 20-strong contingent arrives in the Japanese port city with their own unique sporting ambitions, but are united in their pursuit of a place among Asia’s best.

Led by flagbearer James Ethan Ang and Chef de Mission Low See Lien, the 14 athletes and officials marched into the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on Sunday (Oct 18) night.

Ang said: "It is an honour to be chosen as the flag bearer for my country because it shows that the country believes in me to do my best and perform at the Asian Para Games.”

Team Singapore marching through the Welcome Gate. Photo: SpexSG/ Jeremy Lee

The delegation waved Singapore flags proudly as they passed through the Welcome Gate formed from trees and recycled branches and leaves.

The opening ceremony also featured vibrant dance performances that paid tribute to the cultural festivals celebrated in Aichi prefecture, with members of the audience waving their flashlights and setting the night aglow.

The opening ceremony showcased cultural dance performances unique to the prefecture. Photo: SpexSG/ Dejbordin Limsupanark

“Ultimately, as an athlete, I am most focused on my performance in my race. But it is an honour, and it will be fun to be the flag bearer today,” said Ang, who will return to the same venue on Friday (Oct 23) for his 400m T13 event.

The Games also hold different meanings for each athlete: a defining milestone for eight debutants, a shot at redemption for some, and an opportunity for seasoned veterans to build on their already storied legacies.

In athletics, sprinter Ang will have the chance to settle unfinished business after he came just one shy of the podium in the last edition, finishing fourth in the men’s 400m T13 final.

“Every athlete comes into a major Games hoping to better themselves and, of course, to win. I’m no different. But I will trust my preparation and focus on delivering my best performance. My goal is to give my absolute best, see how far I can push myself and, hopefully, make Singapore proud," the part-time paralegal said.

Ang (left) leading the contingent with Low (right). Photo: SpexSG/ Dejbordin Limsupanark

Thrower Diroy Noordin, who completed his shot put three-peat at January’s ASEAN Para Games, will also fancy his chances of going one better after coming fourth in the men’s F40 shot put three years earlier.

Newly-crowned boccia world champion Aloysius Gan, who was the youngest member of the Hangzhou contingent, will also look to improve on his previous outing where he fell just short of bronze after losing 3-1 to Japan’s Masayuki Arita.

After emerging as Singapore’s most bemedalled athlete at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, swimmer Toh Wei Soong will look to add further lustre to his already glittering resume as he defends his titles in the men’s 50m freestyle S7, 50m butterfly S7 and 100m backstroke S7.

Toh also holds the unique honour of being the only para athlete to compete at all three major Games so far this year, amassing five medals at the ASEAN Para Games in Korat and a silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July.

Former goalball athlete Joan Hung will make her debut at the Games in para judo, having won ASEAN Para Games silver earlier this year.

Returning to the Games after a 12-year absence is ex-Paralympic sailor Jovin Tan, who will make his second major Games appearance in boccia after striking ASEAN Para Games gold.

Similarly, Paralympic medallist Theresa Goh, who hung up her goggles in 2019, will debut in shooting para sport after last competing at the 2014 edition, where she won a silver and two bronzes.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito officially declared the Games open. Photo: SNPC/ Lau Lup Yun

With competitions already underway in para badminton, para table tennis and boccia, the rest of Team Singapore’s contingent will now take to the stage, determined to make their mark in Japan.

And they will do well to heed a piece of Ang’s advice: “As impossible as something seems, if you really put your mind to it, it might not be as impossible as you think. You chip away at it every day to make it possible."

The 5th Asian Para Games are held in Japan from 18 to 24 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.