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

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

An aerial performer is seen against a castle structure during the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)

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Matthew Mohan 19 Sep 2026 07:12PM (Updated: 19 Sep 2026 07:55PM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST 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.