Asian Games opening ceremony: When and where to watch live in India

Nagoya: Members of the Indian delegation arrive during the official welcome and flag-hoisting ceremony ahead of the 20th Asian Games, in Nagoya, Japan. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)

The Asian Games 2026 officially begin in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, September 19, with India aiming to improve on its record medal haul from the previous edition in Hangzhou.The opening ceremony will feature Indian Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Tajinderpal Singh Toor as India’s flag-bearers. Bhaker made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning two medals, while Toor enters the Games as the defending Asian champion in men’s shot put after winning gold in the last two editions.

The 20th edition of the Asian Games will see athletes from 45 countries and regions compete across 43 sports.

Japan is hosting the continental event for the third time, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.India will look to better its performance at Hangzhou 2023, where it won a record 107 medals, including 28 gold. The Indian contingent includes major names such as PV Sindhu in badminton, Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting, Manu Bhaker in shooting, Aman Sehrawat in wrestling and Lovlina Borgohain in boxing.

India’s athletics contingent also features more than 75 athletes, including Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony: When and where to watch

When is the opening ceremony?The Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony takes place on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM local Japan time (JST) / 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST)Where can you watch the opening ceremony on TV in India?The event will be telecast live on Sony Sports 1 and Sony Sports 5. Regional-language coverage will also be available on Sony Sports 3 in Hindi and Sony Sports 4 in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.Where can you watch the Asian Games online?The Asian Games 2026 will be available for live streaming on SonyLIV, through its app and website in India.