All aboard as Asian Games preparations enter 'final stages'
Organizers said 4,000 to 5,000 athletes will stay on a cruise ship and 2,000 more in container-style huts to cut costs.
- On Tuesday, Japanese sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu lit the torch at Tokyo's National Stadium, officially launching the countdown to the 20th Asian Games. "I will carry the flame entrusted to us and run in a way that can empower the next generation," Kiryu said.
- Flames from Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagoya will combine on Saturday to officially start the relay, using the historic cauldron previously featured at the 1958 Asian Games and 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
- To reduce costs, organizers hired the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena to house between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes, with a further 2,000 officials staying in wooden huts at Garden Pier.
- About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected across 43 sports in Aichi Prefecture, featuring rising stars including Philippine tennis player Alexandra Eala, 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.
- Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura stated the event aims to "reaffirm Asian unity and peace through sports," while Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the organizing committee, told AFP preparations are entering their final stages.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Asian Games 2026: Yoshihide Kiryu lights torch in Tokyo ahead of Aichi-Nagoya Games
Japanese sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu lit the Asian Games torch at Tokyo’s National Stadium as Japan stepped up preparations for the Games, which will be held from September 19 to October 4.
Eala, Yu Zidi all aboard as Japan’s Asian Games preparations enter ‘final stages’
The Asian Games begin in Japan next month featuring teenage prodigies, more athletes than the Olympics and a cruise ship that will house competitors in the middle of typhoon season. About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected at the event, which takes place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4. Among those in action will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class talents in 15-yea…
Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games flame lighting ceremony held in Tokyo ahead of the torch relay
A flame-lighting ceremony for the upcoming Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games torch relay was held in Tokyo on Tuesday, around a month before the opening of the continental multi-sport event.
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