NAGOYA, Sept 19: The 20th Asian Games will officially open in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, with Nepal preparing to join the parade of athletes as organizers face mounting scrutiny over accommodation arrangements for thousands of participants.
The opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games will be held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium from 6 pm local time. The ceremony will feature musical and entertainment programs as well as an aerial display by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s renowned Blue Impulse aerobatic team.
Boxer Chandra Bahadur Thapa and women’s kabaddi team captain Manmati Bista will carry Nepal’s national flag during the athletes’ parade. Bista is a bronze medalist from the previous Asian Games, while Thapa is among the Nepali athletes expected to contend for a medal at the Games.
The ceremony will feature the theme “Harmonic Heart Beat,” symbolizing a shared rhythm and enthusiasm for sport among athletes and spectators across Asia.
More than 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions are expected to participate in the Games, which will run until October 4. The number is significantly higher than the organizers’ initial estimate of 15,000 after additional sports were added.
Nepal deposits instrument of accession of Nagoya Protocol
Nepal is participating in 42 sports with 135 athletes. Nepal’s women’s volleyball team has already been eliminated from medal contention. Karate athletes, including historic Asian Games medalist Arika Gurung, are unlikely to attend the opening ceremony as their competition begins the following day.
Accommodation troubles
The Games have drawn criticism even before the opening ceremony after athletes from several countries reported problems with accommodation, including long waits, cramped rooms and inadequate facilities.
The organizers opted against building a traditional Athletes’ Village, instead using hotels, a cruise ship and temporary container-style accommodation. The decision was made partly to control costs and avoid leaving behind a large facility with limited use after the Games.
However, the alternative arrangements have created logistical difficulties. Some athletes reportedly waited for hours before receiving their rooms, while others were placed in shared rooms with teammates, coaches or officials.
Teams from countries including India, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Thailand have reported accommodation-related problems. A South Korean basketball player also posted a video showing a leaking pipe and water on the floor of his temporary accommodation.
Japanese Deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori acknowledged that some athletes had to wait for hours because of problems in the accommodation process. He also acknowledged cases in which coaches, team officials and athletes had to share rooms.
The organizers said the number of participants increased unexpectedly after additional sports were added, putting pressure on the accommodation system. The Japanese Olympic Committee has reserved hotel rooms in Nagoya as an alternative if the problems cannot be resolved immediately.
The temporary container facilities have also faced criticism. The organizers said the structures can later be reused as emergency shelters, while the Olympic Council of Asia has defended the decision to avoid constructing a dedicated Athletes’ Village, citing cost and post-Games use of infrastructure.
Heavy rainfall in Nagoya last week also forced around 400 athletes and officials to evacuate temporarily, while water leakage was reported at some venues. Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa said the Games would proceed as scheduled.
Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. The Aichi-Nagoya Games will feature 43 sports and 469 medal events, with competitions being held across multiple venues in the region.
