Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari and Reem Al Sharshani carry the national flag as Qatari athletes march during the opening ceremony.
Nagoya: Japanese Emperor Naruhito declared the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 officially open at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium yesterday.
The ceremony, also attended by Empress Masako, Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, marks the formal start of the 16-day event.
Athens 2004 Olympic hammer throw gold medallist Koji Murofushi and his father, five-time Asian Games champion Shigenobu, lit the cauldron, which will burn until the closing ceremony on October 4.
One of the highlights of the parade of athletes was the arrival of the OCA Refugee Team comprised of two taekwondo athletes from the Syrian Arab Republic but now living in a refugee camp in Jordan. This is the first time there has been an OCA Refugee Team in the Asian Games, and the two athletes were accompanied by two officials in a four-strong contingent. They marched behind the OCA flag.
The Olympic Council of Asia President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, said: “Tonight, the eyes of Asia – and indeed much of the world – turn to Japan.
“What we will see over the next days will inspire us. It will move us. And it will remind us of what we are capable of when we come together for Asia.”
Fireworks illuminate the stadium at the end of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games at Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
On behalf of the OCA and the 45 National Olympic Committees, H E Sheikh Joaan thanked the Government of Japan, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City, organising committee AINAGOC and the Japanese Olympic Committee for all their hard work in bringing the 20th Asian Games together.
“In Japan, we have a host that prides itself on excellence, discipline and respect,” H E Sheikh Joaan added.
“A nation that has long stood at the front of world sport – where ancient tradition and modern ambition move forward as one. When the world has needed it most – Japan has always answered.”
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be the third time for Japan to host the Asian Games, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
“Each of those occasions left an enduring legacy for Asian sport. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 builds on that legacy,” H E Sheikh Joaan said.
“We all carry our own personal journey with these Games. For me, that journey began as a torchbearer at Doha 2006. Twenty years later, I stand here as OCA President. And, in those 20 years, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of the Games,” he said, to great applause from the spectators.
“Japan has set the stage. Now it is time for Asia to inspire the world once again,” the OCA chief concluded.
Artists perform during the opening ceremony.
The spectators were able to see a host of Japanese sports stars, not just in the final phase of the torch relay but also as the OCA flag was carried into the stadium.
These included Ayumi Tanimoto (judo), Naoko Takahashi (women’s marathon), Kosuke Hagino (swimming), Saori Yoshida (women’s wrestling), Akari Fujinami (women’s wrestling) and Kosuke Kitajima (swimming).
The pre-march performance was entitled Welcome Aichi-Nagoya – “Awakening of Space and Resonating Heartbeats” and the post-march performance celebrated manufacturing excellence in Aichi-Nagoya with the theme “The Heartbeat of Tradition”.
The ceremony lasted two hours and closed with Harmonic Heart Beat – United as One in Aichi-Nagoya.
Al Kuwari and Al Sharshani carry national flag at opening ceremony
Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari and Reem Al Sharshani carried the Qatari flag at the opening ceremony. For Al Kuwari, captain of Qatar’s padel team, and shooter Al Sharshani, being chosen as flagbearers was both an honour. Al Kuwari said he was proud to have been selected for the role and honoured to represent Qatar and the national padel team at the Games.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games are the continent’s biggest multi-sport event, bringing together more than 11,000 athletes from 45 Asian nations and regions. The opening ceremony featured artistic and cultural performances showcasing the identity of Aichi and Nagoya, Japanese culture and the diversity of the Asian continent. The Games will run until October 4, featuring 469 events across 43 sports and 71 disciplines. Athletes will compete for 1,407 medals during the 16-day event.
Qatar has sent a 427-member delegation, including 243 athletes – 184 men and 59 women. Qatari athletes will compete in 26 sports and 32 disciplines under 18 sports federations.
The Qatar team will compete in athletics, football, basketball, 3x3 basketball, handball, volleyball, beach volleyball, squash, padel, taekwondo, judo, artistic gymnastics, golf, shooting, swimming, jiu-jitsu, esports, sailing, equestrian, karate, fencing, archery, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting and table tennis.
H E Sheikh Joaan speaks during the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Nagoya yesterday.
Sheikh Joaan visits main Press Centre, International Broadcast Centre
OCA President H E Sheikh Joaan visited the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) for the 20th Asian Games “Aichi-Nagoya 2026,” accompanied by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry.The OCA president toured the various facilities and operational sections of both centers, reviewing the technical equipment, modern technologies, and innovative solutions employed in content production, broadcast operations management, and media coverage of the Games’ competitions.
He also inspected the workspaces, studios, and broadcasting facilities, as well as the services dedicated to media personnel arriving from across the continent and the world, and the mechanisms adopted to facilitate their tasks and enable them to report on the Games’ events with efficiency and high quality.
Following the tour, H E Sheikh Joaan and Coventry met at the Main Press Centre with a group of nine young reporters participating in the OCA program; selected from across the continent as part of the “Asian Games for All” project.
They welcomed the young reporters and learned about their experiences covering the Games, as well as the program’s role in developing the skills of the next generation of sports journalists and providing them with the opportunity to gain practical experience at one of the continent’s largest sporting events.
