Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games Open for Weeklong Sports Festival

A weeklong sports festival where athletes with disabilities from across Asia showcase their skills and build friendship has officially kicked off in Nagoya, Japan.

The 5th Asian Para Games, the Aichi-Nagoya Games, marked its grand opening with a ceremony held at 6:00 p.m. today (the 18th) at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya.

The opening ceremony was attended by Majid Rashed, President of the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC); Emperor Naruhito; Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko; and Hideaki Omura, Governor of Aichi Prefecture and chairperson of the organizing committee.

Representing the South Korean government, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young attended the venue, alongside Jung Jin-wan, President of the Korean Paralympic Committee, and Chung Jae-jun, Vice President of the APC.

Running through the 24th across Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, and Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture, this year's Games feature approximately 4,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions in Asia competing for over 500 gold medals across 18 sports.

The slogan of the Games is "Imagine One Heart," which embodies the meaning of embracing the passionate hearts of every single athlete and uniting everyone's hearts as one.

Paired with the Asian Games' slogan "Imagine One Asia," it emphasizes Asian harmony and solidarity.

The opening ceremony was themed "WABI" (We Are Beautiful Individuals), staged as a platform where everyone comes together in their own unique way regardless of disabilities, nationality, or culture.

The delegation march proceeded in alphabetical order of country names in English, with Afghanistan making its appearance first.

South Korea entered 16th, led by flagbearers Jang Min-ho in athletics (Anyang City Hall, sports class T13) and Yoon Ji-yu in table tennis (Seongnam City Hall, class 3).

Having competed in previous Asian Games, Jang stood on the Nagoya stage once again, while Hangzhou women's singles gold medalist Yoon is challenging for her second consecutive women's singles title.

North Korea, which dispatched athletes to a single sport of table tennis, entered 8th under the name "DPR Korea," while host nation Japan entered 45th and last.


The highlight of the opening ceremony was the lighting of the cauldron.

The torch relay was undertaken by seven current and former Japanese athletes who have excelled in the Paralympics.

Starting with Junichi Kawai, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency who won five gold medals in swimming at events including the 1996 Atlanta Games, the relay was continued by swimmer Aira Kinoshita, former judo athlete Makoto Hirose, and wheelchair rugby player Yukinobu Ike.

Subsequently, former wheelchair basketball player Katsumi Miyake, former long jump athlete Maya Nakanishi, and alpine skiing athlete Momoka Muraoka stepped up as the final torchbearers.

When the three torchbearers ignited the firewood and straw inside the cauldron, the flames gradually spread upward to illuminate it.

The cauldron was crafted collaboratively by artisans and citizens using clay gathered from Seto, Tokoname, and Sanshu, which are pottery production areas in Aichi Prefecture.

To express the cycle of nature, it is scheduled to be returned to soil after the Games conclude.

South Korea has dispatched a delegation of 357 people, including 214 athletes across all 18 sports at this event, aiming for 21 or more gold medals and a 6th place finish overall.

Park Jin-ho (Gangneung City Hall) will compete tomorrow (the 19th) in the men's 10m air rifle standing (sports class SH1) at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range in Toyota, Japan, eyeing South Korea's first gold medal of the Games.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.