The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games officially begin on Saturday, with the 20th edition of the quadrennial multi-sport event bringing together athletes from across Asia.
The Games will run from September 19 to October 4, although competition began on September 10 with the men's basketball tournament. Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time, having previously staged the event in Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Japan was also among the 11 participating countries at the first Asian Games in 1951.
Organisers had initially budgeted for around 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 participating countries and regions, but registrations rose to about 17,000, putting pressure on accommodation availability. A total of 469 medal events will be held across 43 sports, up from the 40 sports contested at the previous edition in Hangzhou three years ago.
Competitions will be spread across Aichi Prefecture and other parts of Japan, with Tokyo hosting the swimming events and Osaka among the cities staging the football tournament. The Aichi-Nagoya Games will feature several Asian Games newcomers, including mixed martial arts, padel and surfing, along with virtual taekwondo and teqball, which combines elements of football and table tennis.
Chess, go, Chinese chess (xiangqi) and bridge, which have featured in previous editions, have been dropped from the Aichi-Nagoya programme. Dragon boat racing, roller skating and marathon swimming, or open-water swimming, have also been removed.
Esports, which was a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games before becoming a medal sport in Hangzhou, has been retained. Breaking, also known as breakdancing, which made its Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, will also feature.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games will also serve as a qualification route for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with athletes able to secure direct quota places in archery, hockey, sailing, squash, surfing, tennis and triathlon.
China has topped the Asian Games medal table at every edition since 1982. At Hangzhou, the hosts won a record 201 gold medals, while Japan finished second with 52 golds and South Korea third with 42.
(With inputs from Reuters)
