Asia's largest sports festival, the Summer Asian Games, has grandly opened in Nagoya, Japan, 32 years after it was last hosted in the country.
The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games, the 20th Summer Asian Games, kicked off its 16-day run with an opening ceremony held on the 19th at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya.
Attendees at the opening ceremony included International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, and Aichi Prefectural Governor Hideaki Omura, who serves as the head of the organizing committee.
Representing the South Korean government, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young attended the event in person.
While the Summer Asian Games are typically held every four years, the previous 2022 Hangzhou Games were delayed by a year to 2023 due to the spread of COVID-19, making this event take place after a three-year gap.
This marks the third time for Japan to host the Summer Asian Games and the first in 32 years since the 1958 Tokyo and 1994 Hiroshima Games.
The current games, running through October 4, feature 469 gold medals across 43 sports and 71 disciplines.
Around 10,000 participants, including athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) under the OCA and a refugee team, will compete.
The slogan of the games is "IMAGINE ONE ASIA ここで、ひとつに".
Meaning "Imagine One Asia" in English and "Here, as One" in Japanese, the slogan emphasizes the bonds and harmony of Asia.
Directed by Nagoya-born filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi, the opening ceremony's concept was "Harmonic Heartbeat," which symbolizes the unity between athletes and spectators, as well as the diversity and solidarity of Asian nations. The main stage was also built in the shape of a heart.
The opening ceremony officially began with a performance conveying welcoming messages, starting with a heartbeat sound that expressed the excitement of welcoming the Asian Games.
Delegations entered in alphabetical order of their English country names, with Afghanistan entering first. South Korea entered 16th between Kazakhstan and Kuwait under the designation "Korea."
Table tennis star Shin Yu-bin and rowing representative Kim Dong-yong led the South Korean delegation's march as flagbearers.
The North Korean delegation entered 8th under the name "DPR Korea," while the OCA refugee team entered 45th, and host nation Japan entered last as the 46th delegation.
Following the entry of the delegations, the opening of the games was declared, and the OCA flag was hoisted by Japanese sports stars.
Next, videos introducing major attractions and charms of Nagoya and surrounding areas in Aichi Prefecture were showcased, followed by performances highlighting traditional Japanese culture, technological and industrial development, and a leap forward through the Asian Games, drawing much attention.
The torch, which brought the festive mood to its peak, was collected from Tokyo and Hiroshima—where the 1958 and 1994 Summer Asian Games were held—and combined with the flame lit at Nagoya Castle last month, before completing its final relay at the venue today.
The torch was passed to the final torchbearers and lit the cauldron installed on one side of the opening ceremony venue.
The cauldron was designed with symmetrical curves in a metallic texture, inspired by the shape of a heart and the golden Shachihoko (a mythical creature with a tiger's head and a fish's body) regarded as the guardian spirit of Nagoya Castle.
South Korea, having dispatched a delegation of 1,051 athletes across 41 sports with a target of winning over 40 gold medals, will compete for gold on the 20th, the first day of the medal race, in modern pentathlon and the newly introduced teqball. Additionally, a South Korea-Japan showdown for the men's basketball gold medal will take place at 7:40 PM.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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