Toyota Asia Expands Global Athlete Roster for Aichi-Nagoya 2026, Pairing Stars Carlos Yulo and Ernie Gawilan with Community Projects
Ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games, Toyota Motor Asia has unveiled its refreshed Global Team Toyota Athletes roster for Southeast Asia. The line-up features seven elite competitors from six nations, including new para-athletes from Indonesia and Malaysia. Continuing to anchor the team for the Philippines are Olympic gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo and Paralympic swimmer Ernie Gawilan. Aligned with Toyota’s “Move Your World” philosophy, the athletes will also lead community-driven Dual Hero Projects across the region.
–Diana Lyn A | Traffic Network PH
Toyota Asia Names Seven Athletes to Global Team Toyota Roster for Aichi-Nagoya 2026
- The line-up includes two new para-athletes – Indonesian para cyclist Muhammad Fadli Imamuddin and Malaysian para-athletics sprinter Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi – alongside five returning athletes from the Paris 2024 cycle.
- Each athlete will be paired with a Dual Hero Project, a Toyota-supported initiative within the Asia region that gives back to the communities that shaped them
- Olympic gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo and Paralympic swimmer Ernie Gawilan also continue to represent the Philippines since joining in 2024.
OFFICIAL RELEASE: Toyota Motor Philippines | PUBLISHER: ADVAI
PHILIPPINES, 09 JUNE 2026 — Toyota Motor Asia (TMA) today announced its refreshed line-up of seven Global Team Toyota Athletes (GTTAs) representing six countries across Southeast Asia, on the road to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games. The roster includes two new para-athletes, alongside returning athletes from the Paris 2024 cycle. This is also unified under Toyota’s regional brand platform, Move Your World, and reflects the company’s enduring belief that sport reveals what it truly means to be human.
Continuing to represent the Philippines are Olympic gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo and Paralympic swimming standout Ernie Gawilan.
New to the team are Indonesia’s Muhammad Fadli Imamuddin and Malaysia’s Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi, who will join five Global Team Toyota Athletes from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam across a range of sporting disciplines. Since 2018, Toyota has partnered with over 20 Global Team Toyota Athletes in Asia, supporting athletes who not only represent sporting excellence, but also embody the power of movement to drive progress beyond competition. As Toyota continues to evolve, its athlete partnerships remain a key expression of its Move Your World philosophy, where mobility extends beyond movement to create access, opportunity and progress within communities. Through the Global Team Toyota Athletes, Toyota continues to champion sport as a platform for inspiration, inclusion and meaningful community impact.
| Name of Athlete | Background |
| Indonesia’s Muhammad Fadli Imamuddin | Began his sporting career as a professional motorcycle racer before a racing incident in 2015 led him to transition to para cycling. He returned to competition in 2017 and has since represented Indonesia internationally, claiming gold at the 2025 ASEAN Para Games, while mentoring the next generation of riders through his motorcycle racing school. |
| Malaysia’s Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi | Progressed from school-level competitions to the international stage, steadily building a reputation as a consistent performer in para-athletics. His achievements include winning gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games and silver at the 2025 ASEAN Para Games, signaling the growing strength of para sport in the region. |
The full line-up of Global Team Toyota Athletes include:
| Country | Name of Athlete | Sport | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Muhammad Fadli Imamuddin | Para Cycling | New for 2026 |
| Malaysia | Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi | Para Athletics | New for 2026 |
| Philippines | Carlos Yulo | Gymnastics | Continuing |
| Philippines | Ernie Gawilan | Para Swimming | Continuing |
| Singapore | Toh Wei Soong | Para Swimming | Continuing |
| Thailand | Kunlavut Vitidsarn | Badminton | Continuing |
| Vietnam | Lê Văn Công | Para Powerlifting | Continuing |
“At Toyota, sport is a reflection of the human experience — the hope, the doubt, the dignity in defeat and the joy of moving forward together.
Across Asia, our seven Global Team Toyota Athletes embody that spirit, and it is our privilege to stand beside these athletes that continue to inspire and demonstrate how far dedication and courage can take them, both in competition and beyond.
Their journeys highlight the power of sport and its ability to open up new possibilities. Through Move Your World, we aim to support their ambitions in the lead-up to Aichi-Nagoya 2026, and to work alongside them in creating lasting impact in the communities that shaped them.” — Preston Tan, Vice President, Toyota Motor Asia
Dual Hero Projects: Turning Athlete Journeys into Community Impact
As part of the long-standing partnership with athletes in Asia, Toyota continues to drive positive impact through its Dual Hero Projects. Launched in 2018, the initiative pairs each athlete with a Toyota-supported project tied to a cause they care deeply about – extending their impact beyond competition and into the communities that shaped them. Since its inception, the programme has supported over 20 athlete-led initiatives across the region.
In Singapore, Paralympic swimmer Toh Wei Soong co-created a 16-piece adaptive fashion collection that challenges perceptions of disability through inclusive design. In the Philippines, Gawilan led a nationwide coastal cleanup and mangrove restoration initiative, mobilizing more than 1,300 volunteers across 33 sites and planting over 10,000 mangroves – restoring the very waters that accompanied his journey as an athlete. Meanwhile, Yulo has worked closely with Toyota through the “Start Your Impossible” Gymnastics Camp, a youth development initiative that provides aspiring gymnasts with opportunities to learn from one of the sport’s biggest stars while inspiring them to dream bigger and reach their full potential.
Similar Dual Hero Projects will be developed with each Asia GTTA across the span of our partnership with them.
Sport at the heart of Move Your World
As preparations for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 begin, Toyota’s expanded Asia athlete line-up brings together athletes who are not only striving for sporting excellence but also working to move their communities forward. Through sport, advocacy and local action, their journeys reflect the spirit of Move Your World – a belief that movement is most powerful when it opens doors for others.
About Toyota Motor Asia
Toyota Motor Asia is the regional corporate headquarters and subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, based in both Singapore and Thailand.
Toyota Motor Asia leads and supports the Asia Pacific region in Sales and Marketing activities, Service Parts, Accessories and Customer Services, Product Planning, Production Control & Logistic, and Aftersales thus contributing to the overall development of the auto industry and the growing economies in the region.
Toyota envisions the future mobility society to bring freedom of movement to all. Moving forward, Toyota will provide a diverse range of mobility services and transportation solutions to people around the world as we transform Toyota into a mobility company.
About Move Your World
Move Your World is Toyota’s regional brand platform across Asia, built on the belief that mobility is more than movement — it is what allows people to participate, to belong and to thrive. Through music, sport and community, Move Your World invites everyone in Asia to look up, to join, and to move the world forward together.
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