Story perspectives

Asian Games open in Nagoya with 6 new sports

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Japan Opens Asian Games

Japan opened the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya with a ceremony at Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
The Games run Sep 19–Oct 4, featuring over 11,000 athletes from 45 nations.
Six sports—surfing, freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, teqball, and virtual taekwondo—debuted.
Athletes lodged in hotels, wooden huts and cruise ship Costa Serena, prompting cramped-room complaints.
Protests erupted as South Korea’s hockey team objected to a North Korean anthem mix-up and Taiwan’s delegation briefly boycotted.

Summary

Zhang Exhausted

Chinese gymnast Zhang Boheng said a six-hour airport wait left him “totally exhausted”.
Chinese netizens used the hashtag “Asian Games absurd”, which amassed over 94 million views on Weibo.
Local Chinese residents gave rides to the Chinese badminton team after shuttle-bus shortages.
Indian chef de mission Sahdev Yadav described long accreditation queues as “teething problems”.
The OCA refused to provide written proof for barring Taiwan’s sports minister, drawing delegation criticism.

History

Historical Context

Bangkok secured the 1998 Asian Games after a 1990 OCA vote, hosting 6,544 athletes from 41 nations from December 6-20. The opening ceremony, attended by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was marred by a South Korean anthem played over a North Korean delegation, a diplomatic slip that resurfaced in planning for the 2026 Nagoya Games, underscoring OCA pressure to tighten accreditation and venue logistics.

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Japan Opens Asian Games

Japan opened the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya with a ceremony at Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
The Games run Sep 19–Oct 4, featuring over 11,000 athletes from 45 nations.
Six sports—surfing, freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, teqball, and virtual taekwondo—debuted.
Athletes lodged in hotels, wooden huts and cruise ship Costa Serena, prompting cramped-room complaints.
Protests erupted as South Korea’s hockey team objected to a North Korean anthem mix-up and Taiwan’s delegation briefly boycotted.

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