Vietnam Shooting Team Disqualified from Asian Games Final Over Equipment Violation

Sixteen teams squared off in the preliminary round, each firing 60 series, with only the top four earning tickets to the medal round. Shooting at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range in Japan, Phi Thanh Thao and Nguyen Tam Quang initially secured fourth place with 631.7 points. However, a rival squad lodged a formal complaint alleging that the pair's gear violated competition rules. Tournament officials and a representative from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) subsequently inspected the gear, ruling that Vietnam's competition suits failed to meet international standards. The ruling wiped Thao and Quang's scores from the board and elevated fifth-place Japan, who had posted 631.4 points, into the fourth and final qualifying spot. Vietnamese marksman Phi Thanh Thao competes in the women's individual 10-meter air rifle qualification round at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range in Japan on Sept. 20, 2026. Photo by Quy Luong The final took place later that morning at 9:55 a.m., Hanoi time. Alongside Japan, the remaining finalists were preliminary leaders China, who shattered the world record with 638.9 points, followed by India with 634.6 and South Korea with 633.2. Under ISSF regulations, athletes must submit their competition gear for inspection before their opening event, a check all Vietnamese 10-meter air rifle shooters passed cleanly. Even so, tournament organizers and technical delegates retain the right to conduct post-match re-inspections or open inquiries if a competing nation files a formal challenge Standings in the preliminary round of the ASIAD 2026 10-meter mixed team air rifle event prior to the formal protest against Vietnam. Standings in the preliminary round of the 2026 Asian Games 10-meter mixed team air rifle event following Vietnam's disqualification. Earlier on Sept. 20, Thao took the range alongside Le Thi Mong Tuyen and Duong Ha My in the women's individual 10-meter air rifle. In a field of 55 competitors, My finished 13th, Thao 14th, and Tuyen 27th, leaving all three short of the individual final, while Vietnam took fifth overall in the women's team standings. The men faced similar hurdles the next day, as Phung Viet Dung, Nguyen Minh Quang, and Nguyen Tam Quang finished 15th, 27th, and 33rd in the individual 10-meter air rifle preliminaries, missing the final and ending up eighth in the team event. The shooting program at the 20th Asian Games features 49 squads battling across 28 medal events. After more than two days of action, China leads the medal table with three golds, Japan trails in second with one gold and one bronze, India holds five silvers and a bronze, and South Korea has collected two bronzes. Subsidiary of VnExpress License number: 71/GP-CBC, Ministry of Information andCommunications, September 22, 2021 Editor-in-Chief: Pham Van Hieu Email: [email protected]: 028 7300 9999 - Ext 8556 10th floor, Block A FPT Tower, 10 Pham Van Bach, Cau Giay Ward, Hanoi