Asian Games 2026 brings over 20,000 athletes to Japan
More than 20,000 athletes are competing at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Aichi and Japan from Saturday, September 19 to Sunday, October 4.
Event scale and location
The multi-sport event features 469 medals across 43 disciplines. Around 10,000 athletes participated at Paris 2024 for comparison.
Star athletes and teams
Headline acts include tennis superstar Alexandra Eala and javelin thrower Rumesh Pathirage. Other competitors feature gymnasts Zhang Boheng, Carlos Yulo and Zou Jingyuan, plus badminton stars An Se-young, PV Sindhu and Yamaguchi Akane.
Notable absences and issues
Sri Lankan javelin thrower Pathirage faces damaged spears in transit. Viral South Korean shooter Kim Ye-ji is not competing, while tennis star Qinwen Zheng opted for the China Open.
Reported by one outlet
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