Asian Games open in Nagoya with more athletes than Olympics and some unusual sports

The Asian Games officially opened Saturday with a colorful ceremony, beginning a 16-day sporting event that has already been underway for more than a week.

Basketball competition began on Sept. 10 due to the packed schedule, while the men's semifinals were held Friday, a day before the official opening. Soccer has also been underway for almost as long. While the Summer Olympics usually begin a few days before their opening ceremonies, the Asian Games have started even earlier.

The event features at least 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports. The 2024 Paris Olympics had about 10,700 athletes, while roughly 12,000 competed at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Japanese organizers have not yet announced the final number of athletes, but the total could match or exceed the figure from Hangzhou, partly because of several new sports.

Alongside Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming and soccer, the Asian Games feature traditional Asian disciplines including kurash, kabaddi and sepaktakraw. Kurash is an ancient wrestling style from Uzbekistan, kabaddi resembles a physical team version of tag, and sepaktakraw combines elements of volleyball and soccer.

Mixed martial arts, padel, teqball and esports have also been added, making the schedule particularly busy.

Japan has the largest delegation with 933 athletes, while China has sent more than 800. China topped the medal table at the 2023 Games with 201 gold medals, followed by Japan with 52 and South Korea with 42.

Royal family leads opening ceremony

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were among the leading dignitaries at the opening ceremony. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, who was elected president of the Olympic Council of Asia earlier this year, also attended.

"Tonight the eyes of Asia, and much of the world, turn to Japan," Sheikh Joaan said in his address before the Emperor officially declared the Games open.

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry was also present.

The ceremony was themed "Harmonic Heart Beat," with a large heart-shaped stage set up on the infield of Nagoya City Stadium.

Afghanistan led the traditional athletes' parade, while host Japan entered last to loud applause.

Controversies before opening

The official opening may bring some relief to organizers, who faced several controversies during preparations.

One major issue involved accommodation. Instead of building a dedicated athletes' village, organizers planned to house an estimated 17,000 athletes and officials on a large cruise ship, in hotels and in wooden containers converted into accommodation.

Japan officially spent $13 billion on the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A government audit later suggested the actual cost may have been about twice that amount. Organizers therefore sought to avoid similarly high spending for the Asian Games.

Some athletes have complained that beds and rooms are too small, while others have reported leaks in the wooden accommodation units. The wide spread of venues around Nagoya could also create logistical challenges.

Nagoya, Japan's third-largest metropolitan area, has a population of about 9.5 million and is located around 200 miles (350 kilometers) south of Tokyo.

Political issues also emerged before the opening.

On Friday, organizers mistakenly played the North Korean national anthem during a field hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh. South Korean players stood at attention as the unfamiliar anthem played. Many South Koreans are not familiar with North Korea's national anthem and did not immediately recognize it.

Around the same time, Taiwanese Sports Minister Lee Yang, a two-time Olympic badminton gold medalist, was temporarily prevented from attending a welcoming ceremony involving Taiwan and several other countries, including North Korea, Palestine and India.

The Olympic Council of Asia described the incident as a misunderstanding but did not provide a full explanation. Lee was later allowed to join the ceremony.

Taiwan competes in the Asian Games and Olympics as Chinese Taipei and does not use its own flag because China claims sovereignty over the island off its eastern coast.