A floating village for the Asian Games in Japan.
On 19 September, at the Mizuho Park stadium in Nagoya, Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally opened the 20th Asian Games, which are being organised by Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya. Aichi Prefecture is also known as the home of the car company Toyota. The Games last until 4 October, although competitions in some sports began as early as 10 September. Japan is the host for the third time, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994, but for the first time in a full 32 years. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the first Asian Games, held in 1951 in New Delhi. The Games are organised by the Olympic Council of Asia and they are held every four years. The previous Games were held in 2023 in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, a year late because of the pandemic. The ceremony was attended also by the President of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry. Coventry, a former Olympic champion in swimming from Zimbabwe, is the first woman at the head of the IOC. The flame was lit by Koji Murofushi, Olympic champion in the hammer throw at Athens 2004, and his father Shigenobu, who was also a famous hammer thrower.
According to the organisers, the Games bring together athletes from 45 countries and regions, who compete in 43 sports. China, which has taken first place in the medal table at every Games since 1982, is the main favourite this time too. The programme also includes several new disciplines: padel, teqball, surfing, mixed martial arts and virtual taekwondo. Teqball is played on a curved table, similar to the one for table tennis, but with a football. Padel is a mix of tennis and squash, and is played on a small court surrounded by walls.
However, the accommodation of the athletes attracted the most attention. Traditionally, athletes live in a special village, which is often turned into flats after the Games. In order to cut costs, the organisers gave up on building a traditional athletes' village. Instead, about 4,000 athletes and officials are housed on the cruise ship Costa Serena, 290 metres long, moored at Kinjo Pier in Nagoya. Another 2,000 or so people live in temporary wooden huts, built specially for the Games. The problem became even bigger when about 17,000 athletes and officials came to the Games, instead of the expected 15,000. Complaints soon followed too. Basketball players from South Korea, some over two metres tall, complained that they could not stretch out in their beds. Others reported a sink that was leaking, and in some cases men and women were reportedly housed together. Cricket teams, unlike the others, were given accommodation in hotels in the city. On top of all that there also came torrential rain, which caused evacuations and delays to competitions in several sports.
The Asian Games are the largest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympic Games. The next Asian Games will be held in 2030 in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and those in 2034 in Riyadh.