Nagoya, Japan : H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Olympic Council of Asia, presented Qatar’s Rashed Nawaf and Mashari Nawaf with the gold medals in the men’s padel competition at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
The Team Qatar pair made history after defeating Malaysia’s Christian Chin and Aidan Yunus in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, in the final at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center.
With the victory, Rashed and Mashari Nawaf claimed the first padel gold medal in Asian Games history, as the sport made its debut on the official Games programme.
The top-seeded Qatari pair completed the tournament without dropping a set. They opened their campaign with a straight-sets victory over Kuwait’s Abdulaziz Mayouf and Fouad Behbehani in the Round of 16, before defeating the UAE pair of Abdullah Al Abdullah and Fares Al Janahi in straight sets in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, Rashed and Mashari continued their impressive run by overcoming Iran’s Hami Golestan and Aria Roghani in straight sets, before completing their campaign with victory in the final.
The padel gold took Team Qatar’s medal tally at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 to 16 medals — five gold, six silver and five bronze — with further medals still in sight on the final day of competition before the Games conclude and the flag passes to Qatar, host of the next Asian Games in 2030.
Tareq Zainal: Our Team Have Made History
Tareq Zainal, President of the Asian Padel Federation, described Rashed Nawaf and Mashari Nawaf’s gold medal as a historic achievement for Team Qatar.
“On behalf of H.E. Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi, President of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Badminton and Padel Federation, we extend our highest congratulations to H.H. the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on winning the first gold medal in the history of padel at the Asian Games,” Zainal said.
“We also congratulate H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Olympic Council of Asia and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, as well as the people of Qatar on this historic occasion.
“We are delighted to win the gold medal and extremely proud of this historic achievement, which is the result of the efforts made to develop padel in Qatar. We look forward to achieving further success in the future.”
Rashed Nawaf: Proud to Raise Qatar’s Flag High
Rashed Nawaf expressed his delight at winning the gold medal at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and his pride at raising Qatar’s flag at the Asian Games.
“I cannot describe how happy I am with this achievement, which rewards all the effort we put in throughout the tournament to reach the podium,” he said.
“I thank everyone who supported us on our way to winning the gold medal. We dedicate this achievement to our leadership and the people of Qatar, and we hope to continue achieving success and raising Qatar’s flag at future events.”
Rashed Al Athba: We Expected Gold and Want More
Rashed Abdullah Al Athba, Head of the Qatar Padel Team delegation at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, expressed his delight with the gold medal, saying the achievement reflected the high level displayed by the team.
“We expected to win the gold medal given the level our team showed and the efforts the players made throughout the competition. Thankfully, we achieved our goal and raised Qatar’s flag high,” Al Athba said.
“We look forward to continuing our progress and achieving further success in upcoming competitions, and to bringing joy to the Qatari fans who have always supported us.
“I would also like to thank the Qatar Olympic Committee, headed by H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, for its continued support of Qatari sport and athletes, which has played an important role in achieving successes such as this.”
Mashari Nawaf: I Cannot Describe My Happiness
Mashari Nawaf said winning the gold medal at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 was a moment of immense pride, particularly as it was the first padel gold in Asian Games history.
“I cannot describe how happy I am with this historic achievement. If someone had told me just two years ago that I would win an Asian Games gold medal, I would not have believed them. But now I am standing on top of the podium celebrating this historic achievement alongside my brother Rashed after we produced a great performance throughout the tournament,” he said.
Mashari added that the gold medal would provide strong motivation to continue working, developing and pursuing further achievements, while expressing his pride in representing Qatar and raising the national flag at international events.
Mohammed Saadoun: A Proud and Historic Triumph
Mohammed Saadoun Al Kuwari, captain of the Qatar national padel team, described Rashed and Mashari Nawaf’s Aichi-Nagoya 2026 gold medal as a deserved, proud and historic achievement.
“We congratulate Team Qatar on this historic achievement and extend our congratulations to our leadership, whose full support helped us reach the podium and raise Qatar’s flag high,” he said.
“Winning the gold medal is the result of tremendous work and effort over the past period. The team held a training camp ahead of the Games, which enabled them to reach peak readiness. Rashed and Mashari successfully made their way through the competition and delivered Qatar’s first padel gold medal in the sport’s first appearance at the Asian Games. It is a historic moment.
“We have major challenges ahead, including the World Championships, which will be held in Qatar next November, in addition to several other competitions that require us to continue working towards further achievements.”
