Asian Games open in Nagoya with celebration of solidarity and Japanese culture

This is the first time in 32 years that Japan is hosting the Asian Games.

Dancers perform around a model of a Japanese castle during the opening ceremony for the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, Saturday, Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: AP/Dita Alangkara)

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NAGOYA: A ceremony celebrating Asian solidarity and local history marked the start of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture’s capital city of Nagoya on Saturday (Sep 19).

At the 30,000-seater Paloma Mizuho Stadium, a low-key ceremony heralded the return of the region’s biggest sporting meet to Japan for the first time in 32 years.

The Games will take place from Sep 19 to Oct 4, with some sports such as volleyball, basketball and football already underway.

A contingent of 304 athletes across 27 sports will represent Singapore.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Most of the events at the meet will take place in Aichi Prefecture, with a number of competitions held elsewhere, including Japan's capital Tokyo.

Most of the events at the meet will take place in Aichi Prefecture, with a number of competitions held elsewhere, including Japan's capital Tokyo.

Flag bearers for Team Singapore - kayaker Brandon Ooi (left) and fencer Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman (right) - enter the Paloma Mizuho Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

The build-up to the Games has been overshadowed by complaints from teams about the quality and availability of accommodation .

Signs of tepid public interest were apparent on Saturday, with sections of the stands left empty during the opening ceremony amid a rather muted atmosphere.

Some teams were also stranded at the airport for hours on arrival, while record rainfall flooded Nagoya last week.

On Friday, the North Korean national anthem was mistakenly played ahead of a men's hockey match between Bangladesh and South Korea.

More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected at the Games - more than at the Olympics.

Two Japan supporters wearing wigs in the Paloma Mizuho stadium ahead of the opening ceremony for the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

“HEARTBEAT OF TRADITION”

Hours before the opening ceremony, locals were treated to a spectacular performance marking the start of the Games.

The Blue Impulse - the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force - knifed through the skies, carving out a large heart above downtown Nagoya.

In front of dignitaries such as Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry, the ceremony began with a violin solo from Japanese musician Taro Hakase atop a heart-shaped central stage.

Below him, 240 citizen dancers grooved to upbeat music, eventually forming the word “Welcome”.

This was followed by a rendition of the Japanese national anthem by singer Keiko Toda, and the raising of the national flag.

After the Games were officially declared open by Emperor Naruhito came two segments spotlighting the region - the first of which showcased Aichi-Nagoya’s “heartbeat of tradition”.

It featured a giant Nagoya castle balloon, a flying lion dance by Kabuki actors, and an AI-created on-screen singer.

Another performance paid tribute to Aichi-Nagoya’s role as a manufacturing hub, with various performers including dancers in business suits, as well as futuristic Toyota mobility vehicles motoring on stage.

In a special moment, five time Games gold medalist Murofushi Shigenobu and his son Koji Murofushi (2004 Olympic champion) then lit the Games cauldron together.

“Sports have the tremendous power to bring people together across languages, cultures, and national borders,” said Games president Hideaki Ohmura.

“The Games slogan embodies the hope that although there are still regions in the world where conflict and discord persist, through the Games, people will come to understand and respect one another, foster friendships, unite as one, and move forward together toward the future.”

During the parade of nations, Singapore’s athletes and officials were led out by kayaker Brandon Ooi and fencer Kiria Tikanah.

“Walking into the stadium carrying the Singapore flag was honestly quite emotional. I felt very proud, but also a little nervous because it made everything feel very real and that we’re finally here,” said two-time Olympian Kiria.

“I was really honoured and proud to carry the flag and lead the contingent out. The canoe team doesn’t always get the opportunity to march at the opening ceremony, as we often arrive at the Games after the ceremony,” added Ooi.

Nearly two-thirds of Singapore’s athletes are making their Asian Games debut.

At the previous Games in Hangzhou, Singapore won 16 medals, including three golds from Shanti Pereira in athletics , Maximilian Maeder in kitefoiling and Ryan Lo in sailing.

Catch the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games live or on-demand on mewatch! Visit mewatch.sg/asiangames for details, and follow Mediacorp Sports on YouTube , TikTok , Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates and trending content!

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这是日本32年来首次举办亚运会。

2026年9月19日星期六，在日本名古屋举行的亚运会开幕式上，舞者们围绕着一座日本城堡模型表演。（图片：美联社/Dita Alangkara）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

名古屋：周六（9月19日），在爱知县首府名古屋举行的庆祝亚洲团结和当地历史的仪式标志着第20届亚运会的开幕。

在可容纳 3 万人的帕洛玛瑞穗体育场，一场低调的仪式宣告了该地区最大的体育赛事时隔 32 年重返日本。

奥运会将于9月19日至10月4日举行，部分体育项目如排球、篮球和足球比赛已经开始。

新加坡将派出由 27 个体育项目的 304 名运动员组成的代表团参赛。

CNA游戏猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小的谜题，强大的脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 本次比赛的大部分赛事将在爱知县举行，部分比赛将在其他地方举行，包括日本首都东京。

本次比赛的大部分赛事将在爱知县举行，部分比赛将在其他地方举行，包括日本首都东京。

2026年9月19日，在日本名古屋举行的2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会开幕式上，新加坡代表团旗手——皮划艇运动员Brandon Ooi（左）和击剑运动员Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman（右）进入帕洛玛·瑞穗体育场。（图片：CNA/Wallace Woon）

奥运会筹备工作一直被各参赛队伍对住宿质量和可用性的抱怨所笼罩。

周六的开幕式上，观众兴趣冷淡的迹象显而易见，部分看台空无一人，现场气氛也相当沉闷。

一些球队抵达后也被困在机场数小时，而上周名古屋遭遇了创纪录的降雨，引发洪水。

周五，在孟加拉国和韩国男子曲棍球比赛开始前，误播放了朝鲜国歌。

预计将有超过 17,000 名运动员和官员参加本届运动会——比奥运会的人数还要多。

2026年9月19日，在日本名古屋举行的亚运会开幕式前夕，两名戴着假发的日本队球迷在帕洛玛·瑞穗体育场内。（图片：中央社/Wallace Woon）

“传统的心跳”

在开幕式开始前几个小时，当地居民欣赏了一场精彩的表演，标志着奥运会的正式开始。

日本航空自卫队的特技飞行表演队“蓝色冲击”划破长空，在名古屋市中心上空划出一个巨大的心形图案。

在日本天皇德仁、皇后雅子和国际奥委会主席柯丝蒂·考文垂等贵宾的见证下，仪式以日本音乐家博士太郎在心形中央舞台上的小提琴独奏拉开帷幕。

在他下方，240名市民舞者随着欢快的音乐翩翩起舞，最终组成了“欢迎”一词。

随后，歌手户田圭子演唱了日本国歌，并举行了升国旗仪式。

在德仁天皇正式宣布奥运会开幕后，有两个环节重点介绍了该地区——第一个环节展示了爱知-名古屋的“传统之心”。

节目中出现了一个巨大的名古屋城堡气球、歌舞伎演员表演的飞狮以及人工智能生成的屏幕歌手。

另一场演出致敬了爱知名古屋作为制造业中心的地位，演出人员包括身着商务套装的舞者，以及在舞台上行驶的未来主义丰田移动车辆。

在一个特殊的时刻，五届奥运会金牌得主室伏重信和他的儿子室伏幸二（2004 年奥运会冠军）一起点燃了奥运会圣火。

“体育具有巨大的力量，能够跨越语言、文化和国界将人们团结在一起，”奥运会主席大村秀明说道。

“奥运会口号体现了这样的希望：尽管世界上仍有一些地区存在冲突和不和，但通过奥运会，人们将相互理解和尊重，建立友谊，团结一致，共同迈向未来。”

在各国代表团入场仪式上，新加坡的运动员和官员由皮划艇运动员 Brandon Ooi 和击剑运动员 Kiria Tikanah 领队入场。

“拿着新加坡国旗走进体育场，我真的非常激动。我感到非常自豪，但也有些紧张，因为这让我感觉一切都变得非常真实，我们终于来到了这里，”两届奥运会选手基里亚说道。

“能够扛着旗帜带领队伍入场，我感到非常荣幸和自豪。皮划艇队并不总是有机会在开幕式上入场，因为我们通常是在开幕式结束后才到达赛场，”欧伊补充道。

新加坡近三分之二的运动员是首次参加亚运会。

在上一届杭州奥运会上，新加坡共获得 16 枚奖牌，其中包括 Shanti Pereira 在田径项目上、Maximilian Maeder 在风筝冲浪项目上以及 Ryan Lo 在帆船项目上获得的 3 枚金牌。

想观看2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会的直播或点播吗？快来mewatch观看吧！访问mewatch.sg/asiangames了解详情，并关注Mediacorp Sports的YouTube、TikTok、Instagram和Facebook账号，获取最新资讯和热门内容！

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