Shanti Pereira, Ryan Lo lead Singapore’s charge at 2026 Asian Games

SINGAPORE – Sprint queen Shanti Pereira and sailor Ryan Lo will headline Team Singapore’s charge at the Sept 19-Oct 4 Asian Games in Japan.

They are among a provisional list of 256 athletes from 23 sports selected for the Aichi-Nagoya event announced by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) on June 2.

The SNOC said: “There were 115 athletes who had met the Asian Games’ qualification set by the organisers, and 141 athletes who did not have to – both group of athletes met and satisfy the SNOC Selection Committee’s benchmarks.”

At the last edition in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, a record 427-strong contingent competed in 32 sports. They returned with three golds, six silvers and seven bronzes to rank 20th out of 45 national Olympic committees.

Besides defending champions Pereira and Lo, professional golfer Shannon Tan, who became the first Singaporean to win the Order of Merit title on the Ladies European Tour in 2025, will be making her Asian Games debut.

Tan, 22, said: “It’s always a privilege to represent Singapore and fly the flag on the international stage. The Asian Games is one of the few opportunities we have in golf to compete as part of a team, which makes it especially meaningful.

“Golf is often an individual sport, so being able to share the experience with fellow Singaporean athletes and compete together for our country is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Team Singapore athletes will also make their bow in two sports, with the 3x3 basketball men’s and women’s teams and surfer Camille Spaccarotella earning the nod.

The 3x3 basketball men clinched a historic silver medal at the 2025 SEA Games, while the women held their own against higher-ranked opponents at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup Qualifier in April.

National 3x3 basketball head coach Lazar Rasic said: “We are all excited about this competition. Our preparation is going well, the players are working hard and we are now in the middle of season, which means there is a lot of time for us to prepare our players.

“Since this is going to be an Under-23 competition, we are giving international exposure to all our Under-23 players. We will give our best at the Asian Games and try to bring the best results back to Singapore.”

Although Singapore recorded their worst-ever haul of golds and overall medals this millennium at the last Games, Pereira stood out as she claimed her first Asian Games gold with her 200m victory and added a 100m silver.

Lo also secured his first Asiad victory with his ILCA 7 triumph, while Maximilian Maeder was Singapore’s other gold medallist when he won the men’s kite event.

However, the latter will not compete in Japan as kitefoiling is not part of the 2026 programme.

Also missing from the provisional list are archers Tabitha Yeo and Li Yue Long, who won a historic mixed recurve team gold at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

The duo also clinched silver at the Asia Cup in Thailand, but only women’s individual compound archers Madeleine Ong and Ellie Low made the cut, compared with five archers selected for the previous edition.

The Archery Association of Singapore declined comment.

There was also a big dip in the number of badminton players selected, from 13 to four – KFF Singapore Open men’s singles runner-up and world No. 13 Loh Kean Yew, the nation’s top women’s singles player Yeo Jia Min (world No. 40), and men’s doubles duo Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo (No. 41).

The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) had hoped to secure spots for their men and women’s teams, but neither earned the nod.

The men’s team had qualified for the last Asiad – where they were knocked out in the first round – based on their semi-final finish at the 2022 Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC).

The women’s team have not made it to the Asian Games since securing a bronze in 2006.

Both teams did not qualify for the top eight at the 2026 BATC.

Athletes can qualify for the Asian Games by achieving at least sixth place in timings, distances and scores from the previous edition. For team sports, they should be ranked in the top six in Asia.

Vanessa Neo, SBA’s head of pathway and performance, said: “Based on the SNOC’s selection criteria, SBA is grateful that four athletes have successfully met the qualification requirements during the initial phase of selection. Badminton in Asia is highly competitive, with many of the world’s strongest nations and athletes coming from the region.

“Given the depth of competition, it is never easy for our athletes to achieve the performance benchmarks required for major Games selection.

“Should any additional athletes meet the required selection criteria during the appeals window, SBA will certainly submit their names for consideration in accordance with the SNOC selection process.”

Some athletes and teams remain under consideration, while some national sports associations (NSAs) are waiting for the results of matches that have missed the initial deadline.

NSAs must submit appeals for athletes not selected in this first phase later in June via the established appeals process, said the SNOC.

The final contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya Games will be announced at a later date.