NAGOYA, Japan: The 20th Asian Games officially opened in Japan on Saturday, Sept. 19, bringing thousands of athletes together for 16 days of competition across Aichi Prefecture and other parts of the country.
The opening ceremony began at 6 p.m. at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, officially launching the Aichi-Nagoya Games, which will continue through Oct. 4. The event features athletes from 45 national Olympic committees competing across 43 sports for 469 gold medals.
Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time and the first time in 32 years. Tokyo hosted the event in 1958, followed by Hiroshima in 1994, making Aichi-Nagoya the country’s third edition.
Japanese film director Yukihiko Tsutsumi served as the chief creative director for the opening ceremony, built around the theme “HEART BEAT Aichi-Nagoya.”
The ceremony’s opening concept, “HARMONIC HEART BEAT,” focuses on the unity of Asian athletes while incorporating Japanese culture, history and modern technology. The program was scheduled to run for about two hours.
The pre-ceremony program included a performance by Japanese pop group INI, along with traditional elements and other entertainment before the formal opening.
The main stadium, located in Mizuho Park in Nagoya, reopened in April 2026 following renovations. It will also host the closing ceremony and athletics events, including the track and field program from Sept. 24 to 29 and the marathon on Sept. 26.
The Games’ flame was lit at Nagoya Castle last month after flames from Tokyo and Hiroshima were brought together to mark Japan’s hosting history.
The flame then traveled through 40 municipalities across Aichi Prefecture as part of a relay before reaching the stadium for the opening ceremony. Organizers kept the identity of the final torchbearer secret until the ceremony.
The Games are being staged at 54 venues, with some competitions taking place outside Aichi, including at facilities in Tokyo and Shizuoka.
South Korea arrived with a 1,051-member delegation competing in 41 sports. The team has set a target of winning between 40 and 45 gold medals while aiming to finish among the top three countries in the overall medal standings.
Shin Yu-bin and Kim Dong-yong were selected as South Korea’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony.
South Korea’s women’s handball team also began its Asian Games campaign on Saturday morning, facing Hong Kong in Inazawa before the opening ceremony. South Korea won the women’s handball gold medal at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games before taking silver behind Japan at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
The team is seeking its first Asian Games handball gold in eight years.
Teqball is also making its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya. South Korea’s Lee Jun-seok was scheduled to compete in the men’s singles semifinal on Saturday.
The Games faced an early controversy Friday when organizers mistakenly played North Korea’s national anthem before South Korea’s men’s hockey match against Bangladesh at Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Gifu.
The Aichi-Nagoya organizing committee formally apologized to the South Korean delegation after the incident. Two officials visited the South Korean delegation’s office at about 9 p.m. Friday to deliver the apology.
South Korea’s delegation chief, Lee Sang-hyun, also submitted a formal protest letter demanding an explanation, an investigation into the incident and measures to prevent a similar mistake from happening again.
Although the opening ceremony took place Saturday, several competitions had already started because of the size of the Games program and scheduling requirements.
Men’s basketball began on Sept. 10, while women’s basketball started Sept. 17. The early events allowed competition to get underway before the formal ceremony, which serves as the symbolic and protocol opening of the Games.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will continue until Oct. 4, with athletes competing across Japan in one of the continent’s largest multisport events.
