(Asiad) 20th Asian Games set to open in central Japan

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By Yoo Jee-ho and Kim Boram

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- The 20th edition of the Asian Games will open in Nagoya on Saturday, with about 11,000 athletes from 45 nations descending on central Japan for the continent's largest multisport competition.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the slogan "Imagine One Asia," will be the third Asiad to be held in Japan, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, is the main host, with several sports spread across Aichi. Some events will even be held outside the prefecture, including all swimming races in Tokyo and some football matches in Osaka.

This photo taken Sept. 18, 2026, shows Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, the site of the opening ceremony for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. (Yonhap)

Athletes will compete for 469 gold medals in 43 sports and 71 disciplines through Oct. 4.

South Korea will have a little over 1,000 athletes and officials in 41 sports -- except for cricket and padel.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) has said its goal is to bring home about 45 gold medals and to narrow its gap with Japan. At the previous Asian Games in 2023, Japan finished in second place in the medal race with 52 gold medals, 10 more than South Korea. China, which won 201 gold medals in 2023, is expected to dominate the medal table once again.

Although the opening ceremony is Saturday night, preliminary action in sports such as football, volleyball and basketball began last week.

This photo taken Sept. 18, 2026, shows signs promoting the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in front of Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, the site of the opening ceremony. (Yonhap)

South Korea reached the gold medal game in men's basketball, with the final scheduled for Sunday. The women's football team and the women's volleyball team have both secured spots in their respective quarterfinals.

South Korea also secured at least bronze medals in the men's and women's team events in soft tennis by reaching the semifinals. There are no bronze medal matches in the sport, with the two losing teams in the semifinals both receiving bronze.

The men's football team may soon grab a spot in the quarterfinals as well, with South Korea gunning for its fourth consecutive gold medal.

In other team sports, South Korea is seeking its fifth straight gold in baseball, led by stars of the Korea Baseball Organization.

This photo taken Sept. 18, 2026, shows posters promoting the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games inside Nagoya Station in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

Among individual athletes, badminton star An Se-young will try to become the first South Korean singles player to win consecutive Asian Games gold medals. The world No. 1 is a heavy favorite in the women's singles, with Japan's own Akane Yamaguchi expected to challenge the South Korean.

Oh Sang-uk, who won two gold medals in men's sabre fencing at the 2024 Olympics, will try to defend both the individual and team Asian Games titles in Nagoya.

Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, two of the most accomplished swimmers for South Korea who combined for 10 medals in 2023, including five gold medals, will try to replicate their success this month.

Lee Sang-hyeok, the esports legend best known as Faker, likely tops them all when it comes to his international fame. He is going for his second straight gold medal in League of Legends.

The opening ceremony, directed by Nagoya-born filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi, will take place at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium under the theme of "Harmonic Heart Beat," symbolizing athletes from across the continent building connections.

South Korean players celebrate after beating Iran 77-51 in the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

jeeho@yna.co.kr (END)

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(Asiad) 20th Asian Games set to open in central Japan

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

作者：柳智浩、金宝蓝

日本名古屋，9月19日（韩联社）——第20届亚运会将于周六在名古屋开幕，来自45个国家的约11000名运动员将齐聚日本中部，参加亚洲最大的综合性运动会。

以“想象一个亚洲”为口号的爱知-名古屋亚运会，将是继1958年东京亚运会和1994年广岛亚运会之后，日本举办的第三届亚运会。爱知县首府名古屋是本届亚运会的主会场，部分比赛项目分布在爱知县全境。一些比赛甚至会在爱知县以外举行，例如所有游泳比赛将在东京举行，部分足球比赛将在大阪举行。

这张照片拍摄于2026年9月18日，显示的是位于日本名古屋市的名古屋市瑞穗公园体育场，这里是爱知-名古屋亚运会开幕式的举办地。（韩联社）

运动员们将在 43 个体育项目和 71 个分项中角逐 469 枚金牌，比赛将持续到 10 月 4 日。

韩国将派出 1000 多名运动员和官员参加 41 个体育项目——板球和板式网球除外。

韩国体育与奥林匹克委员会（KSOC）表示，其目标是赢得约45枚金牌，缩小与日本的差距。在2023年上一届亚运会上，日本以52枚金牌位居奖牌榜第二，比韩国多10枚。中国在2023年亚运会上斩获201枚金牌，预计本届亚运会将再次领跑奖牌榜。

虽然开幕式在周六晚上举行，但足球、排球和篮球等项目的预赛已于上周开始。

这张照片拍摄于2026年9月18日，照片显示在日本名古屋市瑞穗公园体育场前，宣传爱知-名古屋亚运会的标牌，该体育场是亚运会开幕式的举办地。（韩联社）

韩国男篮晋级决赛，决赛定于周日举行。女足和女排均已锁定各自项目的四分之一决赛席位。

韩国队在软式网球男子和女子团体赛中均闯入半决赛，至少确保获得铜牌。该项目没有铜牌争夺战，半决赛的两支失利队伍都将获得铜牌。

韩国男足也可能很快晋级四分之一决赛，韩国正力争连续第四次获得奥运金牌。

在其他团体运动项目中，韩国队正力争在棒球项目上实现五连冠，领衔的是韩国棒球组织的明星球员。

这张照片拍摄于2026年9月18日，照片显示日本名古屋车站内张贴着宣传爱知-名古屋亚运会的海报。（韩联社）

在个人项目中，羽毛球明星安世荣将力争成为首位蝉联亚运会单打金牌的韩国选手。世界排名第一的她被视为女单夺冠热门，而日本选手山口茜则被认为将对她发起挑战。

曾在2024年奥运会男子佩剑比赛中获得两枚金牌的吴相旭，将力争在名古屋亚运会上卫冕个人和团体冠军。

黄善宇和金宇民是韩国最有成就的两名游泳运动员，他们在2023年共获得10枚奖牌，其中包括5枚金牌。本月，他们将力争再创佳绩。

以Faker之名闻名的电竞传奇人物李相赫，在国际知名度方面可能无人能及。他正力争在《英雄联盟》中卫冕冠军。

开幕式由名古屋出生的电影导演堤幸彦执导，将在名古屋市瑞穗公园体育场举行，主题为“和谐的心跳”，象征着来自整个大陆的运动员建立联系。

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男篮半决赛中，韩国队以77比51战胜伊朗队后，队员们庆祝胜利。（韩联社）

jeeho@yna.co.kr (完)

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