SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - The 20th Asian Games officially open in Japan on Saturday, launching 16 days of competition across Aichi Prefecture and other parts of the country as Japan hosts the continental sporting event for the first time in 32 years.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya and run for about two hours. Nagoya-born director Yukihiko Tsutsumi is overseeing the ceremony, built around a “Heartbeat” concept symbolizing the unity of athletes across Asia and combining the region’s history and culture with advanced technology.
The Asian Games were previously held in Japan in Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994, making Aichi-Nagoya the country’s third edition of the event. The flames lit in Tokyo and Hiroshima were combined at Nagoya Castle last month before being carried through 40 municipalities in Aichi Prefecture. The identity of the final torchbearer has been kept secret.
Athletes from 45 national Olympic committees will compete across 43 sports, with 469 gold medals at stake. South Korea has sent a 1,051-member delegation across 41 sports and is targeting 40 to 45 gold medals while seeking to remain among the top three in the overall standings. Table tennis star Shin Yu-bin and veteran rower Kim Dong-yong will carry the South Korean flag at the opening ceremony.
Competition is already underway in several sports, while Korea’s women’s handball team begins its campaign against Hong Kong at 10 a.m. Saturday in Inazawa, hours before the opening ceremony. Korea, which won consecutive Asian Games titles in 2014 and 2018 before taking silver behind Japan in Hangzhou in 2023, is seeking its first Asian Games gold in eight years.
Korea has held a clear advantage in its recent senior-level matchup with Hong Kong. The teams’ most recent meeting in a major Asian competition came at the 2019 Asian Olympic qualification tournament, when Korea won 41-13 on its way to securing a place at the Tokyo Olympics.
Korea will also have a chance to secure a medal in teqball, one of the sports making its Asian Games debut, with Lee Jun-seok competing in the men’s singles semifinals Saturday.
AJP Takeaways
- The 20th Asian Games open in Nagoya on Saturday with a “Heartbeat”-themed ceremony.
- Japan is hosting the Summer Asian Games for the first time since 1994.
- Korea sends 1,051 delegation members and targets 40 to 45 gold medals.
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