Myanmar’s national esports roster, “Team Zanaka,” received a warm welcome from family and supporters upon their return to Yangon International Airport on Tuesday, following a gold-medal victory at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.
Competing in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament, Team Zanaka secured gold in their debut Asian Games appearance, capped by a 4-0 sweep against Indonesia in the final on Oct. 1.
En route to the gold medal match, the squad—comprising players Hein Htet Oo, Swe Han Htoo, Kyaw Myo Myint, Aung Shine Lin, and Thuya Kyaw—defeated national teams from Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
“We won gold for the first time in our very first competition,” head coach Min Tun Aung stated during a post-match conference in Japan. Kaung Myat San, chairperson of the Myanmar Electronic Sports Federation (MESF), praised the performance, describing the gold medal as a major milestone for Myanmar’s competitive esports scene since its official establishment in 2018.
Asian Games Campaign Breakdown
The esports victory added to a total haul of five medals for Myanmar at the 20th Asian Games, held from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Myanmar sent athletes across five disciplines: esports, teqball, sepak takraw, gymnastics, and women’s football.
- Teqball Breakthrough: Making its inaugural appearance at the Asian Games, Teqball yielded three medals for Myanmar (one gold, one silver, and one bronze). Khin Hnin Wai earned gold in the women’s singles category on Sept. 22, while Myanmar teams also secured silver in women’s doubles and bronze in men’s singles.
- Sepak Takraw: Myanmar secured a bronze medal in the men’s four-player Sepak Takraw event on October 1, sharing third place with India, while host nation Japan took gold and Indonesia took silver.
Myanmar finished 23rd overall out of 45 competing nations with two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. The performance brings Myanmar’s all-time Asian Games tally to 17 gold, 28 silver, and 57 bronze medals—totaling 102 medals since the inaugural Games in New Delhi in 1951.
