Hong Kong wrapped up its best-ever Asian Games campaign on Sunday, finishing the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games with a record 11 gold, 19 silver and 24 bronze medals — 54 in total. The haul earned the team eighth place in the medal table, a feat that won praise from across the city.
The tally surpassed Hong Kong’s previous best at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where it won 53 medals — eight gold, 16 silver and 29 bronze — as well as the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, where it took 46 medals — eight gold, 18 silver and 20 bronze.
Congratulating the delegation, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a statement that the result represented the athletes’ “perseverance and standards of excellence” that have brought honor to the nation and the special administrative region. He praised the younger athletes’ fearless spirit and experienced athletes for their composure and maturity, adding that they had all shown fighting spirit and deserved recognition.
“The courage, relentless spirit, perseverance and unyielding determination shown by Hong Kong SAR athletes on the field of play are the finest embodiment of the Hong Kong spirit. I believe all Hong Kong people share my excitement and immense pride in their excellent performances,” Lee said.
He added that the SAR government will support athletes in a variety of ways to help them excel at international and regional competitions, and to take Hong Kong sport to a new level.
This year, the Hong Kong team has made several breakthroughs in many events. Among them, Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong Chak-lam landed the city’s first gold in the men’s singles at the Asian Games.
Leung Yu-hong made history in wushu sanda, earning Hong Kong’s first silver medal in the discipline in the men’s 60kg category, while the karate and cycling teams also claimed their first-ever men’s team kata and men’s track sprint Asian Games medals.
The sailing squad emerged as the biggest contributor to the medal haul, sweeping 10 medals, led by a wave of young talent.
Hong Kong Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui also extended her congratulations, saying the delegation “made us proud and deeply moved”.
Legislative Council President Starry Lee Wai-king said the athletes broke Hong Kong records in multiple events, delivering outstanding and inspiring results, showcasing Hong Kong’s brilliance on the international stage.
“The sustained development of Hong Kong’s sports sector requires not only the unremitting efforts of athletes and their teams, but also the active coordination of long-term government policies and strong support from all sectors of society,” Lee said, vowing that the Legislative Council will stand with the government and the sports sector, implement the long-term directions set out in Hong Kong’s first five-year plan to improve sports infrastructure, and enhance the governance capacity of sports associations and the professional standards of the sector.
Speaking to the media before the event’s closing ceremony, delegation leader Wong Po-kee said the team’s results had exceeded expectations, demonstrating Hong Kong athletes’ resilience and determination.
Wong said that while competitive sport pays attention to medal counts, “medals are not the ultimate goal of a sports association or an athlete. We will not treat the medal count as a hard target for athletes.”
At the closing ceremony held at 5 pm Hong Kong time at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, rugby player Cado Lee Ka-to carried the flag of the HKSAR. During the men’s rugby sevens final on Saturday evening, the SAR team defeated the Chinese national team 26-0 with a dominant performance, securing a three-peat in the event; the women’s team once again faced off against and defeated Thailand, taking bronze.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com
