1st Japan-Hosted Asian Games in 32 Years Officially Kick Off

Nagoya, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)--The opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Games was held at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Saturday evening, marking the official start of the 2026 Games.

The Aichi-Nagoya Games are the third Japan-hosted summer Games after the 1958 Tokyo and 1994 Hiroshima Games.

More than 15,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions will participate in 43 events that will take place, mainly in Aichi, during the 16-day period through Oct. 4.

The Japanese delegation includes 932 athletes, the largest ever from the country. They aim to surpass Japan's current records of 218 total medals at the 1994 Hiroshima Games and 78 gold medals at the 1966 Bangkok Games.

At the opening ceremony, wrestler Akari Fujinami and BMX rider Rimu Nakamura served as flag bearers, leading the Japanese team with smiles on their faces.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]