Asian Games kick off in Japan amid accommodation, weather woes

NAGOYA: The 20th Asian Games will open in Japan later Saturday with a glittering ceremony following a stuttering build-up to a multi-sport spectacular that has more participants than the Olympics.

The first gold medal will be won on Sunday morning, likely in the men's individual triathlon, and will be followed by 468 more in 45 sports before the curtain comes down on Oct 4.

The event, which has 2028 Olympics places up for grabs in several sports, will be graced by global stars but has been dogged by a series of problems.

The 17,000 participants – more than the Olympics – stretched organisers to the limit as they scrambled to find accommodation for everyone.

To save money there is no traditional athletes' village, competitors instead staying in a combination of temporary container-style huts, hotels and the cruise ship Costa Serena.

To add to the problems, there was a record deluge last week which flooded parts of Nagoya city and now a typhoon is approaching eastern Japan that could cause further disruption.

Some athletes were left stranded at the airport when transport failed to turn up and several teams have complained about the quality of the huts, including the beds being too short.

Weather forecasters are predicting that a typhoon could hit Japan's main island – where Nagoya is situated – on Sunday or Monday.

Organisers are insisting that the latest edition of the Games, which were first held in 1951, will be "the most spectacular for generations."

Basketball, football and cricket are among the sports already under way.

As always at the Asian Games, Olympics staples such as athletics and swimming will sit side-by-side with regional favourites like sepak takraw and kabaddi.

In a bid to attract younger viewers there will be eSports, breakdancing and BMX cycling.

Padel, the fast-growing racquet sport, and MMA will make their Asian Games debuts.

- PRODIGIES -

Among those competing will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of prodigies in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

Yu will be in action in the pool straightaway on Sunday in the heats of the women's 200m butterfly.

Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting will also be competing, two years after she won Paris Olympics gold in the middle of a major gender row that saw her eligibility questioned.

Hosts Japan will look to their Olympic champions for success, with gymnast Shinnosuke Oka and javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi named in their team.

North Korea will have more than 100 athletes competing across 14 sports, aiming to "bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un."

China will again expect to top the medals table after winning a whopping 201 golds and 383 medals on home soil in Hangzhou at the Covid-delayed Games in 2023.

They are sending more than 800 athletes, including 36 Olympic champions.

Sooryavanshi will be part of an India cricket team looking to make a statement before the sport returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles after an absence of 128 years.

India could face bitter rivals Pakistan in the final at Nagoya's new purpose-built cricket ground – if forecast rain does not intervene.--AFP