Honohon lights the flame as our Asiad athletes aim to burn bright

RED-HOT Honohon is ready to greet the world as Japan kicks off the Asian Games with the opening ceremony today.

Unlike the usual animal mascots, Honohon the mascot of these Games is a symbol born from the fiery passion that burns in the hearts of athletes.

The word “hono” in Japanese means flame, and the mascot itself looks like an ear of rice.

So, can Malaysian athletes “rice” to the occasion and burn brightly? The country has set a six-gold target, but can our heroes and heroines surpass the target at the 20th Asian Games?

Aichi-Nagoya is historically known as the birthplace of the “Kabukimono” — the flamboyant and eccentric samurai warriors — and our 352 athletes, led by chef de mission Datuk Sumali Reduan, will need to be fighters too.

They will up against more than 15,000 athletes from 44 other countries, with action to be seen in 43 sports and 469 events over 16 days.

For Malaysia, a strong showing will bring pride and joy. But it won’t be easy.

Malaysia have never won more than nine gold medals at an Asiad, with our best performance coming at the 2010 Guangzhou edition, where the contingent returned with 9-18-14.

This writer was there then, and what a joy it was to watch our athletes stand tall on the podium.

I was at the bowling alley when Alex Liew and Adrian Ang rolled their way to gold in the men’s doubles, before Alex went on to capture the All-Events title as well.

Nicol David also completed a golden double by winning the women’s individual title and leading the team to glory, while Mohd Azlan Iskandar delivered squash’s third gold by emerging as the men’s champion.

The other gold medallists were R. Puvaneswaran and Ku Jin Keat in karate, Azizulhasni Awang in cycling and Chai Fong Ying in wushu.

Bowling, unfortunately, is not part of the programme at this edition.

Most of Malaysia’s heroes from Guangzhou are now either coaches, sports administrators or have moved on from the sporting world.

But Azizul, at 38, is still there for one last crack.

The Pocket Rocketman will be hoping to bid farewell with another outstanding performance and looks in good shape to bring honours to the country again.

Badminton, meanwhile, will be under the microscope.

In Guangzhou, Malaysia could only manage silvers through Lee Chong Wei and Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.

In fact, our shuttlers have struggled to do better since — winning four bronze medals at the 2014 Incheon Games, none at the 2018 edition in Indonesia and just one bronze through world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s doubles at the last Games in Hangzhou.

Will there finally be some golden glitter this time?

Malaysia’s last Asian Games badminton gold came through Kien Keat-Boon Heong at the 2006 Doha edition.

Datuk Misbun Sidek has raised concerns over the strength of the team, especially in the singles. There are reasons for his concerns.

Aaron will not be partnering Wooi Yik but Tee Kai Wun, while world mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will also not be playing together as Ee Wei continues her recovery from knee surgery. Singles players Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh have not delivered yet.

The badminton squad look under-strength on paper, but Datuk Seri Jalani Sidek believes the underdog tag, coupled with the rewards offered by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), could inspire the shuttlers to turn things around.

Malaysia will also be looking for medals in squash, karate, sailing, archery, sepak takraw and hockey.

It will be especially significant if Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari can defend their men’s and women’s singles squash titles, with the Asian Games gold carrying the added prize of qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Squash will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles, giving the competition in Nagoya even greater significance.

Hosts Japan, China and South Korea are expected to be among the leading nations, as they traditionally have been. Throw in India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Thailand, North Korea, Taiwan and even Singapore into the mix, and the battle for medals promises to be intense.

Japan, who were foiled by the Covid-19 pandemic when they hosted the Olympics, have had to deal with a typhoon and flooding to teething problems involving accommodation, transportation and incorrect national anthems this time.

But once the Games begin, the action on the field, track, mat and court will take centrestage. The heartwarming moments and heartbreaking defeats will matter more than low ceilings and bad beds.

For Malaysia, the six-gold target is there to be chased. The record haul of nine gold remains the benchmark.

If this Malaysian contingent can challenge both, it will be an Asian Games to remember.