Beyond The Medals : The Asian Games As a Window Into Asian Geopolitics
Sport and politics might seem unrelated on the surface as sport is often perceived as one of the few arenas capable of transcending politics where it symbolizes unity and friendship through shared human emotions and experience. By contrast, politics is widely associated with division and competing interests. Yet, it is also no secret that the two have been intertwined for centuries, with sport repeatedly serving as an instrument of soft power through which states project influence, cultivate relationships and shape their international image.
The 2026 Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan is no special to this phenomenon as it offers a complicated picture that illustrates the reality of Asian geopolitics. With “Imagine One Asia” as a slogan, this four-yearly event is bringing together thousands of athletes from 45 countries to demonstrate Asian unity. But the politics surrounding them show just how difficult that unity remains.
Earlier in the competition, Taiwan who participates under the name of Chinese Taipei was involved in an incident where its Sports Minister, a former two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in badminton, Lee Yang, was initially barred from attending a flag-raising ceremony. This almost caused a protest from the Taiwanese delegation who refused to participate in the competition and even gained attention from Taiwan’s cabinet claiming that Lee had been subject to “unreasonable obstruction.”
While Lee Yang was permitted to join the ceremony at the end, this occurrence shows how a seemingly minor incident could easily transpire into a diplomatic crisis. Questions over who can participate, under what name and alongside which symbols are not merely matters of sporting protocol as they can become questions of sovereignty, recognition and national identity.
North Korea gives a different illustration to this phenomenon. Amidst tense relations with Japan due to sanctions and isolation from the rest of the international community, the sporting delegation of North Korea consisting of 107 athletes was permitted to join the 2026 Asian Games. This marks a return of North Korea in major international sporting events held in Japan with the last time being in 1985. It places North Korean athletes and officials in the same physical and institutional space as countries with which Pyongyang has difficult political relationships. It also demonstrates that regional sporting institutions can provide forms of interaction that are difficult to reproduce through conventional diplomacy.
This decision, however, should not be translated immediately as a sign of a diplomatic breakthrough as sporting engagement does not automatically translate into a political reconciliation. Despite growing optimism that the presence of North Korea in Japan’s held Asian Games could be the start of a potential dialogue between the two countries as well as South Korea, the chance remains slim as Kim Jong Un only wants to have a dialogue with the United States.
For North Korea, this opportunity to participate in an international event is taken gratefully to project itself as a normal state contrary to a pariah state often portrayed by the media. The Asian Games can also serve as a proof of superiority of the North Korean system against rival nations like South Korea and Japan whenever its athletes win a game which is a good propaganda tool for the people at home.
Japan’s role as a host nation adds a deeper layer to this discourse. Beyond providing venues for the competition, Japan also has a chance to present itself as a regional convenor at a time when Asia is increasingly divided by strategic competition. Japan has also been using sporting relationships beyond the Asian Games as part of its wider engagement with Asian partners. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Japan and India, Tokyo hosts a cricket match against India, demonstrating how sporting exchanges can complement broader diplomatic efforts.
The Asian Games therefore carries a subtle diplomatic dimension. Instead of exercising influence through sheer military or economic power alone, states can also shape regional relationships by gathering people, creating institutions and providing spaces for interaction.
These cases reveal a paradox at the heart of the Asian Games. The Asian Games is designed to bring Asia together, yet it does so by bringing together countries and political entities that disagree profoundly about sovereignty, identity and regional order. It also demonstrates how the event cannot escape from the geopolitical reality but rather it becomes the reflection of it.
The disputes surrounding the competition show where political boundaries remain contested, while the participation of rival states demonstrates that cooperation remains possible despite those differences.
The medals may determine who wins on the field. But beyond the podium, the Asian Games offers a glimpse into how Asia's states coexist, compete and communicate with one another.
This article written by Flint Fernando Tendy, International Relations graduate from Universitas Katolik Parahyangan with experience in policy research, analytical writing, and international affairs. He has contributed to research on Indonesia’s Pacific Strategy and written on Southeast Asian politics and global affairs.
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