China questions why the MVP award went to a Thai athlete instead of a Chinese one. They ask, "How are China's 7 gold medals inferior to Thailand's 2 gold medals?" Chinese comments express their disbelief.

===
After the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the male category of the 2026 Asian Games to Thai sprinter Puripol Boonsorn, a controversy arose among Chinese media and netizens. They questioned why Puripol was considered superior to the Chinese swimmer and why the MVP wasn't awarded to a Chinese athlete.

Who is that Chinese athlete? = Zhang Zhanshuo, a 19-year-old rising star who performed outstandingly at this Asian Games, winning 7 gold medals. Among these 7 gold medals, he broke both his own personal best and previous Asian Games records. This has left some Chinese sports fans feeling puzzled and questioning the award. Why did someone who won 7 gold medals and broke all-time swimming records lose to "Bew Puripol," who only won 2 gold medals?

Reasons why "Bew Puripol" received the MVP award:
The OCA committee primarily considered the value of the records, impact, and difficulty of the sport because:
1. Bew's 100-meter run time of 9.90 seconds broke the 10-second barrier at the Asian Games and set a world record. He only had one chance to showcase his skill in the final round. This is different from swimming, which has more detailed stroke and distance divisions, allowing for more opportunities to compete and accumulate medals. The women's MVP award had already gone to Yu Zidi, a rising Chinese swimmer. Therefore, distributing the men's award to another nation with extraordinary records was reasonable according to international standards.