Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony in Nagoya
Asian Games 2026 Begin in Nagoya. A Historic City in Japan. India Chases More Medals This Time
✍️ By Shri Pradeep Trivedi
English translation adapted from the original Gujarati article without changes to the content or experiences
Freelance Writer | Author | Sports Analyst | Lecturer | Sports Journalist
“Welcome to Nagoya, Japan, with all our heart!” This is what the Japanese people say when you arrive in Nagoya for the Asian Games.
The Japanese people bow politely and say, “Yorokonde otetsudai shimas”, which means, “We are ready to help you.”
Come, let us visit Nagoya in Japan to watch the Asian Games before the Commonwealth Games are held there. Nagoya is a 400-year-old historic city and is home to Japan’s oldest Nagoya Castle.
Nagoya, the host city of these Asian Games, is about 6,000 kilometres from Ahmedabad. As the Asian Games are being held in Japan for the third time, our Gujaratis travelling from Ahmedabad to Nagoya will have to take a one-hour flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai and an eight-hour flight from Mumbai to Tokyo.
Once you reach Tokyo, you can take a domestic flight to Nagoya, which takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes. But instead of taking a domestic flight after reaching Tokyo, take the famous bullet train, the “Shinkansen”. You can enjoy the beauty, speed and natural views during the journey and reach Nagoya in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
If you really want to enjoy travelling in Japan, the bullet train is the best transport. The journey on Japan’s bullet train is truly memorable.
When you reach Nagoya, whether at the airport or the bullet train station, you will see fair-faced students with round faces and small eyes standing there to welcome you. They will say “Konnichiwa”, which means “Hello”, and welcome you.
Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time. Earlier, the third Asian Games were held in Tokyo in 1958, while the 12th Asian Games were held in Hiroshima in 1994.
The 20th Asian Games 2026
The 20th Asian Games began on 19 September. More than 10,000 athletes from 46 countries are taking part.
A total of 469 events will be held across 71 disciplines in 43 sports. Athletics has the highest number of events with 50, followed by swimming with 41 and shooting with 28.
Six sports will be held for the first time. They are freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, teqball and virtual taekwondo.
The Games are expected to cost around 927 million US dollars.
The opening ceremony was held on 19 September at 6:00 pm Japan time, which was 2:30 pm Indian time. It was held in grand style at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
The grand event was presented by the Chinese company Dafeng Industry. Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi was the creative director of the ceremony.
The closing ceremony of the Asian Games will also be held at the same stadium at 6:00 pm, or 2:30 pm Indian time, on 4 October.
After the closing ceremony, the hosting rights for the 21st Asian Games in 2030 will formally be handed over to Doha, Qatar.
The mascot of the 20th Asian Games is “Honohon”. The name means “flame” and comes from an ancient Japanese word.
Its design is based on a mythical tiger-headed carp and “Shachihoko”, the famous guardian deity of Nagoya. Its red and white design also includes Kabuki-style face markings.
Instead of an Asian Sports Village, a “Floating Village” has been arranged for the athletes taking part in the Games.
About 4,000 to 5,000 athletes are staying on the Italian chartered cruise ship “Costa Serena”, which is docked at Kinjo Pier in Nagoya Port.
Around 2,000 athletes are staying in “container huts”, which are temporary wooden houses designed like shipping containers at Garden Pier.
The remaining athletes are staying in hotels across Aichi Prefecture and nearby areas.
The motto of these Asian Games is “Image One Asia”, while the official theme song is “Beyond the Sky”.
India’s Performance
The 20th Asian Games is being held in a region known as the land of the Samurai. Toyota and Mitsubishi factories are located here, along with the Toyota Museum, which preserves 140 years of car history.
Before India aims to finish in the top three of the medal table with its best performance, let us look at India’s performance over the past 19 years of the Asian Games.
India has taken part in all 19 Asian Games held so far. Interestingly, India has won at least one gold medal at every Asian Games.
Overall, India has an average fifth position in the medal table across the 19 Games.
Acknowledgement:
Newz Daddy extends sincere thanks to Shri Pradeep Trivedi, author, sports analyst and journalist, for sharing his memorable Asian Games details. We also appreciate the photographs and personal experiences that have enriched this article.