20th Asian Games open in Nagoya — Channel NewsAsia
The 20th Asian Games opened in the Japanese city of Nagoya on September 19. The ceremony was held at the 30,000-seat Paloma Mizuho Stadium and attended by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. As Channel NewsAsia reports, Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the first time in 32 years.
The competitions will continue until October 4. Most events are scheduled to take place in Aichi Prefecture, while some will be held in other cities, including Tokyo. Volleyball, basketball and football tournaments have already begun. More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to take part — more than at the Olympic Games.
Opening ceremony
Before the opening, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Blue Impulse aerobatic team drew a large heart in the sky above central Nagoya. The ceremony was opened by violinist Taro Hakase, who performed on a heart-shaped central stage. Later, 240 local dancers formed the word Welcome.
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The program featured a giant balloon shaped like Nagoya Castle, a performance by kabuki actors with a lion dance, and an AI-generated singer on a screen. A separate segment was dedicated to the role of Aichi and Nagoya as an industrial center: dancers in business suits performed on stage and demonstrated futuristic Toyota vehicles.
Lighting of the cauldron and organizational problems
The flame cauldron was lit by five-time Asian Games gold medalist Shigenobu Murofushi and his son Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Olympic champion. Games President Hideaki Omura said that sport can unite people regardless of languages, cultures and state borders.
At the same time, preparations for the competitions were accompanied by teams’ complaints about the quality and availability of accommodation. Some participants were stuck at the airport for several hours after arriving, while record rainfall last week caused flooding in Nagoya. On the eve of the ceremony, North Korea’s anthem was mistakenly played before a men’s hockey tournament match between Bangladesh and South Korea.
