The 20th Asian Games officially begin on Saturday (Sept. 19) in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
More than 10,000 competitors from 45 countries will take part in this 22-day event.
They will compete in 71 disciplines across a total of 43 sports. This sporting festival will be held in Aichi-Nagoya until October 4.
Although the preliminary rounds of a few sports have already been underway, the official opening ceremony of the competition will be held at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Indian time on Saturday.
At that time, various cultural performances will be staged, and the athletes from the countries participating in the competition will also march in formation.
First time: For the first time in the Asian Games, a refugee team is taking the field. One male athlete and one female athlete competing in taekwondo are part of it.
Introduction: Freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, surfing, teqball, and virtual taekwondo are being introduced in these Asian Games.
Issues: Japan, which has adopted cost-cutting measures and alternative arrangements instead of building a dedicated sports village for the Games, is facing criticism for it.
Even before the competition has begun, teams from participating countries have been raising various issues regarding accommodation facilities. Some Indian male and female athletes have also been forced to stay in hotels separately. In addition, problems in intra-city transportation are also being reported.
Do not politicize it: The organizing committee has stressed that when large-scale competitions like this are held, there are bound to be some challenges, and that these should not be politicized. It has also assured that special sports villages will be provided for the next two Asian Games to be held in Doha and Riyadh.
Delay: The flag-hoisting ceremony for the Asian Games in Nagoya city was delayed on Friday. It was stated that the delay occurred due to problems in communication between the Asian Olympic Council and the organizing committee. Participants from the teams of India, Yemen, North Korea, Palestine, Chinese Taipei, and Timor-Leste took part in it.
India in pursuit of reaching a new peak
India, which has been performing well and winning medals in various competitions of late, is taking part in this event with the aim of reaching a new high in its Asian Games history. India’s highest medal tally so far is the 106 medals it won at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
A total of 501 male and female athletes from India are competing in this event. For many of them, the central government has also provided adequate training and equipment facilities under the financial assistance scheme for medal prospects.
India, which has the opportunity to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, is also trying to secure the chance to host the 2036 Olympic Games. As a preview of achieving that, India is coming with a plan to dominate these very Games.
Athletics, shooting, and cricket are strengthening India’s medal prospects. In addition, there are also high expectations for India in badminton, hockey, archery, boxing, and kabaddi.
Parade: In the parade to be held at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, shooter Manu Bhaker and shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor will carry the national flag and lead the Indian contingent.
Cricket: India in the semifinals
In the quarterfinals of the women’s T20 cricket, India advanced to the semifinals on Friday with an easy eight-wicket win over Japan.
Batting first, Japan were all out for 57 in 19.5 overs, while India chased down the target with 59 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 5 overs to win the match.
Ayaka Kato scored 25 runs with 2 boundaries in Japan’s innings, while Sri Charani took 4 wickets in India’s bowling.
Then, in India’s batting, Shafali Verma led the team to victory with an unbeaten 40 runs, including 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. Among Japan’s bowlers, Nonoha Yasumoto and Ayaka Kato took 1 wicket each.
Next, India will face Bangladesh in the semifinals on Sunday (Sept. 20). Meanwhile, in the other quarterfinal, Sri Lanka defeated Malaysia by 86 runs.
Soft tennis: defeat in the quarterfinals
In the soft tennis competition, India advanced to the quarterfinals in the men’s team event, where it lost to Indonesia on Friday.
The Indian team, comprising Jai Meena, Aryan Thakur, Yogesh Chaudhary, Aniket Patil, and Om Yadav, defeated Mongolia and Laos in the group stage, but lost to Chinese Taipei. It then reached the quarterfinals.
Tekball: D’Souza close to a medal
In tekball, India’s Kimchi Javkim D’Souza advanced to the semifinals in the women’s singles event and is in a position to secure a medal.
D’Souza stunned Japan’s Yina Sakamoto, who was ranked first in the competition, in her first group-stage match, winning 10-12, 12-11, 13-11. In the next match, she defeated Cambodia’s Komien Tai 12-9, 12-7.
With two consecutive wins and first place in Group ‘A’ secured, D’Souza was given a bye in the quarterfinals and has advanced directly to the semifinals. If she wins there, a medal will be assured. Even if she loses, she will still get a chance in the bronze medal match.
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles category, the pair of D'Souza and Mohammed Anas lost 0-2 to Vietnam in the quarterfinals. However, since they have advanced to the repechage round, they still have a chance to win a medal there as well.