20th Asian Games to open in Nagoya on September 19 after troubled build-up
The 20th Asian Games will open in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday (September 19, 2026) with a glittering ceremony following a stuttering build-up. The multi-sport event features more participants than the Olympics and has stretched organisers to the limit.
Organisers say there are about 17,000 participants, more than at the Olympics, which forced a scramble to find accommodation. To save money there is no traditional athletes’ village; competitors are staying in a combination of temporary container-style huts, hotels and the cruise ship Costa Serena. Those arrangements, organisers concede, left them working under significant pressure.
A record deluge last week flooded parts of Nagoya city and a tropical storm is approaching eastern Japan that could cause further disruption on Sunday (September 20) and Monday (September 21). Some athletes were left stranded at the airport when transport failed to turn up, and several teams have complained about the quality of the huts, including the beds being too short. Those logistical and weather problems have compounded an already troubled lead-up.
There have been individual mishaps: North Korea’s national anthem was played on Friday (September 18) for South Korea’s men’s hockey team, an error South Korea coach Min Tae-seok described as: "This is a really serious problem." On Saturday (September 19) India drafted in a new flag-bearer after shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s luggage did not have his ceremonial kit, with kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat named as his replacement. Organisers continue to insist the latest edition of the Games will be "the most spectacular for generations".
Competition is already under way in some sports, with basketball, football and cricket started ahead of the official opening. As at previous Asian Games, athletics and swimming will run alongside regional favourites such as sepak takraw and kabaddi. Attempts to broaden the appeal include eSports, breakdancing and BMX cycling, while padel and MMA will make their Asian Games debuts.
Several named athletes and delegations are on the entry lists: "Former Olympian shooter Anjali Bhagwat, centre right, and former athlete Lijo David, centre left, during the official welcome and flag-hoisting ceremony for the Indian contingent ahead of the 20th Asian Games, in Nagoya, Japan on September 18, 2026 | Photo Credit: PTI"; Philippine tennis player Alexandra Eala is competing; 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi are among the young prodigies, with Yu due in the pool on Sunday (September 20) in the heats of the women’s 200m butterfly. Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting will compete two years after she won Paris Olympics gold amid a major gender row that saw her eligibility questioned, and hosts Japan have named Olympic champions Shinnosuke Oka and Haruka Kitaguchi in their team.
North Korea will field more than 100 athletes across 14 sports and says it aims to "bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un"; China is sending more than 800 athletes, including 36 Olympic champions, after winning 201 golds and 383 medals at the Covid-delayed Games in Hangzhou in 2023. The organisers say the event in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture will be graced by global stars.
The first gold medal is expected on Sunday (September 20) morning, likely in the men’s individual triathlon, and will be followed by 468 more in more than 40 sports before the curtain comes down on October 4. The event in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture also has 2028 Olympics places up for grabs in seven sports.
