(Asiad) 20th Asian Games set to open in central Japan

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- The 20th edition of the Asian Games will open in Nagoya on Saturday, with about 11,000 athletes from 45 nations descending on central Japan for the continent's largest multisport competition.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the slogan "Imagine One Asia," will be the third Asiad to be held in Japan, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, is the main host, with several sports spread across Aichi. Some events will even be held outside the prefecture, including all swimming races in Tokyo and some football matches in Osaka.

Athletes will compete for 469 gold medals in 43 sports and 71 disciplines through Oct. 4.

South Korea will have a little over 1,000 athletes and officials in 41 sports -- except for cricket and padel.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) has said its goal is to bring home about 45 gold medals and to narrow its gap with Japan. At the previous Asian Games in 2023, Japan finished in second place in the medal race with 52 gold medals, 10 more than South Korea. China, which won 201 gold medals in 2023, is expected to dominate the medal table once again.

Although the opening ceremony is Saturday night, preliminary action in sports such as football, volleyball and basketball began last week.

South Korea reached the gold medal game in men's basketball, with the final scheduled for Sunday. The women's football team and the women's volleyball team have both secured spots in their respective quarterfinals.

South Korea also secured at least bronze medals in the men's and women's team events in soft tennis by reaching the semifinals. There are no bronze medal matches in the sport, with the two losing teams in the semifinals both receiving bronze.

The men's football team may soon grab a spot in the quarterfinals as well, with South Korea gunning for its fourth consecutive gold medal.

In other team sports, South Korea is seeking its fifth straight gold in baseball, led by stars of the Korea Baseball Organization.

Among individual athletes, badminton star An Se-young will try to become the first South Korean singles player to win consecutive Asian Games gold medals. The world No. 1 is a heavy favorite in the women's singles, with Japan's own Akane Yamaguchi expected to challenge the South Korean.

Oh Sang-uk, who won two gold medals in men's sabre fencing at the 2024 Olympics, will try to defend both the individual and team Asian Games titles in Nagoya.

Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, two of the most accomplished swimmers for South Korea who combined for 10 medals in 2023, including five gold medals, will try to replicate their success this month.

Lee Sang-hyeok, the esports legend best known as Faker, likely tops them all when it comes to his international fame. He is going for his second straight gold medal in League of Legends.

The opening ceremony, directed by Nagoya-born filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi, will take place at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium under the theme of "Harmonic Heart Beat," symbolizing athletes from across the continent building connections.