2026 Asian Games open with Team China ready to shine

The 20th Asian Games officially kicked off in Japan on Saturday.

Running from September 19 to October 4, the quadrennial Games feature 43 sports and bring together more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions.

A more streamlined opening ceremony Held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, the opening ceremony lasted about two hours.

Guided by the "Social Good Games" concept, this year's ceremony emphasized low-carbon and sustainable practices.

Performances, stage designs and props were streamlined, with greater emphasis on emotional expression.

Delegations entered the stadium in the order of the Japanese kana syllabary.

Organizers allocated more time to the athletes' parade, giving competitors from different countries and regions a greater presence in the ceremony.

Team China all set to shine again China has sent 815 athletes to compete in 38 sports and 369 events.

The team is relatively young, with 27% of its athletes born in 2005 or later.

Among them, 548 are making their Asian Games debuts, while 306 have previously competed at the Olympic Games or Asian Games, according to the Chinese Olympic Committee.

Basketball player Hu Mingxuan and boxer Wu Yu served as flag bearers for China at the opening ceremony.

Wu, who competes in the women's 50-kilogram category, won gold at the 2023 World Boxing Championships and at the Hangzhou Asian Games the same year.

Hu helped China's men's basketball team win bronze at Hangzhou and will captain the team at this year's Asian Games.

New sports and Asian favorites this year The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games feature a mix of Olympic staples and sports with strong Asian roots.