Indonesia's Badminton Team Begins Asian Games Training in Tokyo

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian badminton team has begun its first training session in Tokyo as part of efforts to restore fitness and maintain performance ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The team trained from Monday morning, September 14, 2026, until midday at the NTT Central Training Center in Chofu, Tokyo, the home base of Japanese badminton club NTT East.

The first session focused on restoring the athletes’ condition and maintaining their performance before the badminton competition at the Asian Games begins on September 20.

Women’s singles coach Imam Tohari said the players showed good physical condition during the first training session.

“On the first day, I think all the women’s singles players were in very good condition. That is why I slightly increased the training intensity so that they can improve further in the coming days,” Imam said on Monday, September 14, as quoted on Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) official website.

The training program included strokes and court movements at moderate speed to help the athletes gradually readjust to training conditions in Japan.

Having previously lived in Japan for an extended period, Imam said the current weather conditions in the country were suitable for Indonesian athletes.

“The weather in Tokyo and later in Nagoya is neither too hot nor too cold. With temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius, it is suitable for our athletes, so adaptation should not be a major problem,” he said, expressing hope that the rain would become less intense in the coming week after heavy rainfall in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, men’s doubles pair Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin are approaching their second Asian Games with greater confidence.

“Today’s training went quite well. The program is still focused on maintaining the training we did in Indonesia. The atmosphere here is good, and the team’s togetherness is beginning to develop. Hopefully, it will remain positive day by day,” Daniel said.

Leo said their experience at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they failed to achieve their target, would serve as an important lesson. "We have to correct our mistakes and not repeat them. In Nagoya, we have to play more boldly,” Leo said.

Leo/Daniel arrive with additional motivation after defeating world No. 1 Korean pair Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae in the first round of the China Masters.

However, the 2026 Thailand Open champions recognize that the challenge in Japan will not be limited to Kim/Seo. They therefore believe maintaining vigilance in every match will be essential to their Asian Games campaign. ***