Asian Games 2026: MESF Targets Five Medals From Nine Events

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Esports Federation (MESF) is targeting at least five medals from the nine events it will compete in at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to take place from Sept 19 to Oct 4.

MESF president Muhammad Naim Al Amin Saharudin said Malaysia had confirmed its participation in nine of the 11 esports events contested at the prestigious Games and was confident the national squad could improve on its previous performance.

He said Honor of Kings (HOK), which formed the basis of Arena of Valor (AOV) when Malaysia won silver at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, would once again be among the country's main medal hopes, alongside E-Racing, E-Football, Identity V and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).

"What is important is that we want to bring home at least five medals for the country. We are certainly hoping for a gold, but we do not want to put additional pressure on the athletes.

"This is only the second time esports has been included in the Asian Games and we want to improve on our previous record," he said during the Chef de Mission (CDM) and Deputy Chef de Mission's (DCDM) visit to the Sports Training Venue in preparation for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games at the National Sports Council (NSC), Bukit Jalil, today.

Muhammad Naim said HOK was expected to at least match the silver-medal achievement from the previous edition, but acknowledged that the team's journey would also depend on the tournament draw.

Meanwhile, team manager Amir Syafiq said the national esports contingent to Japan would comprise 44 athletes and eight coaches, with almost the entire line-up consisting of new faces.

"It can be said that 99 per cent are new faces. In esports, changes happen very quickly and a lot can change within four years, so this year we are bringing many new faces," he said.

He said the athlete selection process was merit-based and varied according to the game, including taking into account professional league standings for events such as MLBB, HOK and PUBG Mobile.

For E-Racing, internal selection was conducted by former national Formula One driver Alex Yoong, while Identity V will field a team that has consistently represented the country in international tournaments.

Commenting on Alex's involvement in the national squad, Muhammad Naim said MESF had been working with the former racer for more than two years and was satisfied with his contribution to the development of E-Racing.

"We have been working with Alex Yoong from the outset for more than two years because he is very committed to E-Racing and has his own studio. Throughout our collaboration of more than two years, he has shown excellent commitment and I can see that the athletes' preparations and performances are improving," he said.

-- BERNAMA