Taiwan Wins Five Gold Medals at Nagoya Asian Games
The Taiwan delegation finished the Nagoya Asian Games with just five gold medals, marking the lowest gold count in 32 years and the first time the team has been outperformed by Hong Kong since returning to the regional competition in 1990, according to reports.
Nagoya Medal Tally Falls Sharply Behind Regional Rivals
Ending nearly a month of competition, the Taiwanese team secured only five gold medals at the Nagoya Asian Games. According to sports.ltn.com.tw, this performance drops steeply from the 20 gold medals captured at the previous Hangzhou Games—a figure that includes a retroactive adjustment after a Mongolian boxer was disqualified for a doping violation. The drop leaves Taiwan in the lower tier of regional medal counts, falling behind Hong Kong, which claimed 10 gold, 19 silver, and 23 bronze medals to finish tenth in the standings. tw.news.yahoo.com noted that the wider delegation also sits behind several smaller delegations including Malaysia, North Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, mainland China dominated the overall standings with 167 gold medals out of 367 total podium finishes, followed by Japan with 79 gold and South Korea with 37.
Historical Comparison With Past Asian Games Cycles
The current 32-year low stands in stark contrast to historical performances since Taiwan rejoined the Asian Games at the 1990 Beijing edition after a 20-year absence. Reporting by sports.ltn.com.tw points out that across seven subsequent Games, delegations consistently cleared higher bars, with only the 2006 Doha Games dropping below double digits at nine gold medals. Peak modern performances include 19 gold medals at the 1998 Bangkok Games and the 19 gold medals recorded at the Hangzhou Games.
High-Value Gold Medals in Swimming and Track
Despite the diminished overall medal yield, athletes in foundational sports delivered rare victories. In track and field, Fu Chao-hsuan cleared 2.25 meters in the men’s high jump to secure gold, breaking a 60-year men’s track gold drought dating back to 1966. Additional gold medals came from soft tennis mixed doubles pair Yu Kai-wen and Huang Shih-yuan, women’s 60kg boxer Lin Ting-ting, and tennis women’s doubles pair Hsieh Su-wei and Liang En-shuo. These performances in Olympic-core events triggered boosted national training rewards under the Ministry of Education regulations.
Minister Li Yang Prioritizes Logistical Support over Medal Targets
The competition served as the first major international multi-sport test for the newly established Sports Department under the executive leadership of Minister Li Yang, who managed a record sports budget of 24.8 billion New Taiwan Dollars and a support staff exceeding 300 personnel, per sports.ltn.com.tw. Addressing expectations prior to the closing events, sports.ltn.com.tw reported that Li Yang declined to set a fixed medal target, emphasizing instead that the administration’s primary mandate was to optimize logistical support and athlete care on the ground in Nagoya. While athletes and commentators debated the impact of local conditions and the absence of prior medal-heavy disciplines, the delegation prepares to return home as the final events conclude.
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