The 20th Asian Games opened in Japan on September 19 and run until October 4. The quadrennial Games feature 43 sports and bring together more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions.
A more streamlined opening ceremony
Held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, the opening ceremony lasted about two hours. Guided by the "Social Good Games" concept, the ceremony emphasized low-carbon and sustainable practices. Performances, stage designs and props were streamlined, with greater emphasis on emotional expression.
Delegations entered the stadium in the order of the Japanese kana syllabary. Organizers allocated more time to the athletes' parade, giving competitors from different countries and regions a greater presence in the ceremony.
A young Team China
China sent 815 athletes to compete in 38 sports and 369 events. The team is relatively young, with 27% of its athletes born in 2005 or later. Among them, 548 are competing at their first Asian Games, while 306 had previously competed at the Olympic Games or Asian Games, according to the Chinese Olympic Committee.
Basketball player Hu Mingxuan and boxer Wu Yu served as flag bearers for China at the opening ceremony. Wu, who competes in the women's 50-kilogram category, won gold at the 2023 World Boxing Championships and at the Hangzhou Asian Games the same year. Hu helped China's men's basketball team win bronze at Hangzhou and captains the team at this year's Games.
New sports and Asian favorites
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games feature a mix of Olympic staples and sports with strong Asian roots.
Major Olympic events, including athletics, swimming, badminton and boxing, are joined by Asian favorites such as kabaddi, sepak takraw, wushu, kurash and jiu-jitsu.
Several sports and disciplines made their Asian Games debuts this year.
Padel and teqball were added to the program in March, bringing the total number of sports from 41 to 43. Surfing also joined the Games for the first time, with men's and women's shortboard events. Other newcomers include BMX freestyle, a cycling discipline in which riders perform a series of tricks and jumps on specially designed courses, and mixed martial arts (MMA).
Meanwhile, breaking, which made its official Asian Games debut at Hangzhou in 2023, returned at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.