Olympic champions Wang Zongyuan, Chen Yuxi, Li Wenwen and Liu Huanhua (front row, right to left) sing the national anthem before an assembly in Beijing on Friday. The event marked the formation of Team China for the 20th Asian Games. LIU PING/FOR CHINA DAILY
China's 815-strong team of athletes, led by a blend of Olympic champions and rising young talent, is gearing up for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, aiming to finish atop both the gold medal and overall medal tables for the 12th consecutive time.
With 27 percent of its athletes born in 2005 or later, the young Chinese delegation will compete at the continental multisport event in Japan from Sept 19 to Oct 4, using the Games as an important test on the road to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The 1,274-member delegation — which includes competitors, coaches and support staff — was officially announced in Beijing on Friday.
Gao Zhidan, head of the delegation (chef de mission) and minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, called on team members to compete with determination and strive for excellence in their athletic performance and sportsmanship. "We will stay focused on our goals, lift our spirits, fight tenaciously and strive for the best possible results," Gao said.
Team China consists of 404 women and 411 men, with an average age of 24. They will compete in 38 sports and 369 medal events.
The youngest athlete is 12-year-old skateboarder Cao Shiqi, while 41-year-old shooter Wan Antao is the oldest. Fifty-eight athletes from 17 ethnic groups are also included.
A total of 548 athletes will make their Asian Games debuts. Meanwhile, 306 members of the squad have competed in previous Olympic Games, Asian Games or both. Thirty-six Olympic champions from 13 sports are among the competitors.
Table tennis stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, divers Chen Yuxi and Wang Zongyuan, gymnast Zou Jingyuan, canoeist Sun Mengya and weightlifter Li Wenwen are among the established champions expected to lead China's medal challenge while helping guide younger teammates.
Seventeen-year-old sprinter Chen Yujie represents the delegation's emerging generation. In August, she set an Asian U20 record of 11.08 seconds in the women's 100 meters at the 2026 Chinese Athletics Championships, and she will compete in both individual and relay events at her first Asian Games. "Stepping onto the Asian Games stage for the first time, I want to compete fearlessly and perform at my best," Chen said, adding that she hopes competing against Asia's top athletes would help her gain experience for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Passing on experience to a new generation is also a key theme within the delegation. For diving Olympic champion Wang Zongyuan, his second Asian Games will serve as a "midterm examination" ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.
"I hope to pass on our techniques, spirit and strength of character to more young athletes," Wang said.
Olympic weightlifting champion Shi Zhiyong, who is now a coach, will also draw on his experience at major competitions to help younger athletes perform at their best levels.
Zhang Xin, secretary-general of the delegation, said that China remains the frontrunner in Asian sporting competitions, with Japan and South Korea close behind, while countries including India and Kazakhstan have also made rapid progress in several events.
Although China's delegation this time around is smaller than the one sent to the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou, held in Zhejiang province in 2023, Zhang said the team remains confident of achieving its goals.
The delegation will also compete in four sports not to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic program — wushu, breaking, karate and esports — hoping to promote traditional Chinese culture through wushu and showcase the diversity of the country's sporting development.
As a key test in the Los Angeles Olympic cycle, the Aichi-Nagoya Games will provide China with a valuable opportunity to assess its preparations, gain experience at a major multisport event and demonstrate the potential of its next generation of athletes.
