NAGOYA, Japan — Thailand finished seventh overall at the 2026 Asian Para Games with 19 gold, 40 silver and 66 bronze medals, topping the Southeast Asian nations at the continental competition, which concluded in Japan on Saturday.
The fifth Asian Para Games, held in Aichi and Nagoya, saw Thailand finish behind China, Japan, Uzbekistan, India, South Korea and Iran in the overall medal standings.
Thailand fell short of its target of 27 gold medals, but more than 70% of its athletes won medals, according to Proudpran Samanmit, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).
She praised the Thai para-athletes for their determination and highlighted several record-breaking performances, including wheelchair racer Athiwat Paengnuea, who equalled the world record in the men’s 100 metres T54 event.
Thai athletes also broke existing records in athletics and swimming, while Wisanu Huadpradit won his fifth consecutive Asian Para Games gold medal in boccia, helping Thailand finish first in the sport.
Young swimmer Nithikorn Jiamphiriyakul also impressed on his Asian Para Games debut, winning two gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
Proudpran said nearly half of Thailand’s athletes were newcomers to the Games and many performed well, although some narrowly missed out on medals after reaching finals.
She added that changes to some events compared with the previous Games four years ago made competition challenging, but the results showed clear improvements in Thai athletes’ performances.
The SAT will continue supporting training programmes for both established medal prospects and emerging athletes as Thailand prepares for the 2027 ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia and qualification for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
The SAT’s National Sports Development Fund is also preparing to distribute prize money to athletes, officials and sports associations within seven days. Under the Asian Para Games reward scheme, athletes receive 1 million baht for gold, 500,000 baht for silver and 250,000 baht for bronze.
