Young guns lead the charge against Asian Powerhouses
SINGAPORE 31 August 2026 – The Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) has announced the national team that will represent Singapore at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with five paddlers set to make their Asian Games debuts in Japan.
The team combines the experience of established national players with the emerging talents of a new generation, reflecting Singapore’s continued efforts to develop depth and strengthen its pipeline of international-calibre paddlers.
The Asian Games will be held from 19 September to 4 October 2026, with the table tennis competition scheduled to take place in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture.
The Singapore contingent comprises:
Men’s Team
- Izaac Quek Yong, 20
- Koen Pang Yew En, 24
- Clarence Chew Zhe Yu, 30
- Josh Chua Shao Han, 25
- Ellsworth Le, 18
Women’s Team
- Zeng Jian, 29
- Ser Lin Qian, 20
- Loy Ming Ying, 16
- Tan Zhao Yun, 21
- Chloe Lai Neng Huen, 19
Five members of the team – Josh, Ellsworth, Ming Ying, Zhao Yun and Chloe will be making their Asian Games debuts, marking an important milestone in their international careers and underscoring the growing depth within Singapore’s national programme.
Among the returning players, Izaac Quek, Koen Pang, Clarence Chew, Zeng Jian and Ser Lin Qian bring valuable Asian Games experience to the squad. Quek and Pang have also continued to establish themselves among Singapore’s leading players, including their breakthrough run to the men’s doubles medal at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships and their gold-medal performance at the 2025 SEA Games.
The 2025 SEA Games provided further encouragement for Singapore table tennis, with the national team securing four gold medals, including victories in the men’s team, men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles events.
The Women’s team, in particular, have been enjoying a strong run of form following their breakthrough performance at the 2025 Asian Table Tennis Team Championships in India, where they returned to the continental podium with a joint-bronze medal. This was followed by a silver medal in the Women’s Team event and bronze medals in the singles and doubles events at the 2025 SEA Games. The strong individual performances of Ser, Loy and Lai at the Singapore Smash 2026 further underscored the team’s growing depth and competitiveness on the international stage.
For the five debutants, Aichi-Nagoya represents an opportunity to test themselves against the continent’s best and gain invaluable experience on one of the biggest stages in Asian sport.
The team will continue its preparations in the lead-up to the Games, as they depart for a centralised training camp in Shimada, Shizuoka, before making the trip to Nagoya, as the team looks to be competitive across the team, singles and doubles events.
Ms Poh Li San, recently re-elected as STTA President for another term at the association’s AGM last week, said the selection reflects the Association’s confidence in both its established players and the next generation of Singapore paddlers.
“We are fielding a young team averaging 22 years old, to lead the charge against more senior and experienced Asian table tennis Powerhouses. Five out of ten are debutants at Asian Games. In fact, most of our players are also full-time students, juggling between their heavy academic workload with training and competition. They are also our best players, who have been sharpened and toughened via the highly competitive WTT world circuit.
Despite their short career span and juggling schoolwork, the team has kept a strong run leading up to Asian Games, from Asian Team Championship in India, to SEA Games in Thailand and most recently in Singapore Smash. They have been training rigorously and will be undergoing centralised training in nearby Shimada first, in order acclimatise to the Japanese environment.
For our five debutants, this will be a valuable opportunity to compete against the best players in Asia and gain experience that will be important for their continued development.
At the same time, our more experienced players will play an important role in providing leadership and helping the team navigate the challenges of a major Games environment.
We are confident that the team will approach Aichi-Nagoya with a strong spirit, sharp focus and give their very best for Singapore.”
With a blend of experience and emerging talent, the Aichi-Nagoya squad represents another important step in the development of Singapore table tennis and the Association’s longer-term objective of building a strong, confident and world-class national team.
