Asian Games in Japan Leave Questions of Legacy

Nagoya, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--The first Summer Asian Games held in Japan in over three decades left behind questions of its legacy.

The 16 days of sport mainly held in the central prefecture of Aichi through Sunday featured venues full of cheering crowds and scenes of excitement shared by a wide range of people, a sharp contrast to the spectatorless Tokyo Olympics in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asian Games brought together over 15,000 members of delegations from 45 countries and regions. Japan rewrote its record high for both total medal tally and gold medal count for the quadrennial sporting tournament, sweeping up 269 medals, including 83 golds.

Japan left behind valuable memories for people in the country. Spectators witnessed high-level performances by athletes, and were introduced to Asia's vast array of cultures. People also had a chance to see athletes at public events to celebrate the medalists.

The 2021 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo had 1,423.8 billion yen in costs. The budget for the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games totaled 298 billion yen, despite the number of sports and participating athletes being larger than those of the worldwide sporting festival.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]