'One Asia' Opens on September 19 for a 16-Day Run with 10,000 Athletes

[Anchor]

The 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a sports festival for 4.8 billion Asians, will grandly open tomorrow, September 19, with its opening ceremony. The South Korean delegation has cast its hat into the ring with the goal of defending its third place overall. Let's connect with our reporter live in Nagoya.

Reporter Han Sung-hee, where are you currently stationed?

[Reporter]

Yes, I am currently at Hisaya Odori Park, where the official Fan Zone for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is located.

Although it is dark now, the torch, which toured Aichi Prefecture and various other regions over the past four weeks, arrived here just a short while ago at around 6:30 PM. After a ceremony, it headed to the opening ceremony venue.

Under the slogan "Imagine One Asia," about 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and a refugee team will compete in 16 days of heated competition at this tournament.

The opening ceremony, set to begin tomorrow at 6:00 PM, will take place at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium, which was built in 1941 and underwent five years of renovation for this event.

For South Korea, 1,051 Taeguk warriors across 41 sports will embark on a hunt for gold.

Table tennis player Shin Yubin and rowing athlete Kim Dong-yong will serve as flag bearers for the opening ceremony, leading the South Korean delegation's entrance while carrying the national flag.

The goal is to secure 40 to 45 gold medals and firmly maintain the third-place overall standing.

Global stars who shone at the Paris Olympics, such as world badminton powerhouse An Se-young and fencing star Oh Sang-uk, are out in full force. The baseball national team, led by Kim Do-young, aims for its fifth consecutive gold medal, while the men's soccer team looks to bounce back from the World Cup disaster and capture its fourth consecutive gold medal.

Esports events, including "League of Legends" featuring the world's top star Faker, are expected to serve as a gold mine for medals for South Korea, known as an "internet cafe powerhouse," following the Hangzhou Games.

Seong Seung-min, the first female modern pentathlon athlete from South Korea to win an Olympic medal, will run toward the delegation's first gold medal in the women's individual event the day after tomorrow morning.

(Photo: Park Jin-ho, Kim Se-kyung | Video Editing: Chae Chul-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.