The Asian Games are officially underway in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday and the numbers alone tell part of the story: this is a sporting event that is bigger than the Paris Olympics in athlete participation, while also offering a programme that looks markedly different from the world’s biggest multi-sport spectacle.More than 11,000 athletes are expected to compete at the 20th Asian Games, compared with about 10,700 at the 2024 Paris Olympics.That does not make the Asian Games bigger than the Olympics in prestige or global reach. But by the sheer number of athletes taking part, the continental showpiece has once again crossed the Olympic mark.And the scale becomes even clearer when the programme is considered.A total of 43 sports featured at Aichi-Nagoya, with athletes from 45 countries and regions competing from September 19 to October 4. The Games also include an OCA Refugee Team.The official opening ceremony took place on Saturday, but competition had already been underway for more than a week in some disciplines. Basketball began on September 10, while football also started well before the ceremony, underlining one of the biggest differences between the Asian Games and the Olympics: the enormous programme forces several competitions to begin before the formal curtain-raiser.ALSO READ: How India’s Asian Games medal story has changed over two decades
11,000+ athletes: Bigger than Paris, but not quite Hangzhou
The most striking number in Aichi-Nagoya is the athlete count.The Paris Olympics featured about 10,700 athletes. The Asian Games have more than 11,000, making the continental event larger in terms of athlete participation.Organisers have not released a final official athlete total, but they have indicated that more than 11,000 athletes are registered. The number could ultimately approach the scale of the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where roughly 12,000 athletes competed in 2023.That puts Aichi-Nagoya in an unusual position. It is larger than the Olympics by athlete participation, yet it is also a very different event in terms of geography, sporting culture and the range of disciplines on offer.The Games involve 45 countries and regions, stretching from Afghanistan to Yemen, along with the OCA Refugee Team.Japan has the largest delegation, with 933 athletes. China is sending 815 athletes. Hong Kong, despite having a population of about 7.5 million, has around 580 athletes.China arrives as the dominant force from the previous edition. At Hangzhou, it won 201 gold medals, followed by Japan with 52 and South Korea with 42. India was next with 28 gold medals, while Uzbekistan won 22 and Taiwan 19.
Members of India’s contingent walk during the opening ceremony. (AP Photo)
43 sports: Olympic favourites meet Asian specialities
The sheer number of sports is another reason the Asian Games can feel unlike the Olympics.There are plenty of familiar Olympic disciplines. Athletics, swimming and football remain central parts of the programme, alongside other established sports.But then there are sports that give the Asian Games a distinctly regional identity.Kabaddi, for instance, is a major Asian team sport combining speed, strength and physical contact. Sepaktakraw blends elements of volleyball and football, while kurash, an ancient form of wrestling originating in Uzbekistan, adds another traditional discipline to the programme.ALSO READ: Five little-known sports India will compete in at Asian Games 2026The organisers have also made room for newer and less familiar events.Teqball, a sport that combines elements of table tennis and football, is making its Asian Games debut. Virtual taekwondo, padel and mixed martial arts are also part of the programme.Esports returns after making its debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games.That combination is one of the defining features of the continental event. The programme can move from athletics and swimming — sports at the heart of the Olympics — to kabaddi, sepaktakraw, kurash and teqball, all within the same Games.It is also one reason the schedule has become so demanding.Basketball began on September 10, more than a week before Saturday’s opening ceremony. The men’s basketball semifinals were played on Friday, a day before the Games were officially declared open.Football has also been underway for several days.The first gold medal of the Games is expected on Sunday, with the triathlon among the events likely to produce the first champion.Swimming will also provide one of the early highlights, with China’s 100m freestyle world-record holder Pan Zhanle and 13-year-old sensation Yu Zidi among the names attracting attention.
Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which serves as a floating temporary athletes’ village. (Reuters Photo)
A very different athletes’ village
The scale of the Asian Games is not limited to the competition programme.A total of 17,000 athletes and officials are being accommodated across Japan. But unlike the Olympics, Aichi-Nagoya does not have a traditional dedicated athletes’ village.Instead, accommodation has been spread across hotels, converted wooden containers and a cruise ship.The Costa Serena, an Italian cruise ship, is functioning as a floating athletes’ village and can accommodate up to 5,000 athletes and officials.The arrangement is part of a broader effort to contain costs after the Tokyo Olympics, for which Japan officially spent $13 billion. A government audit suggested the actual figure could have been twice that amount.But the unusual accommodation arrangements have also become one of the biggest talking points before the Games.Athletes and officials have complained about cramped rooms, small beds and logistical problems. Some delegations have reported leaks in the converted wooden accommodation, while others have raised concerns about transportation and long journeys to training venues.South Korea said the containers at Garden Pier were too cramped for its basketball players. Delegations have also complained about registration delays, late buses and athletes being sent to incorrect venues.India’s cricket authorities arranged separate hotel accommodation for the men’s team because of the tight allocation of beds.The problems have added to the scrutiny surrounding the build-up, although the Olympic Council of Asia has described them as teething difficulties.
Asian Games Teqball (AP Photo)
A 16-day sporting festival with a distinctly Asian identity
The Asian Games will run until October 4, bringing together more than 11,000 athletes across 43 sports and 45 participating countries and regions.Nagoya, Japan’s third-largest metropolitan area after Tokyo and Osaka, is hosting the event. The metropolitan area has a population of about 9.5 million and is located roughly 350 kilometres south of Tokyo.The opening ceremony at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium provided the official starting point after a buildup marked by organisational problems. Emperor Naruhito formally declared the Games open, with Empress Masako, IOC president Kirsty Coventry and OCA president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani among the dignitaries present.The ceremony’s theme was “Harmonic Heart Beat”, with a heart-shaped stage forming the centrepiece.Japan’s father-and-son hammer-throwing duo Shigenobu Murofushi and Koji Murofushi jointly lit the cauldron at the conclusion of the torch relay.But the real measure of the Games will come over the next 16 days.The Asian Games may not carry the same global prestige as the Olympics, but Aichi-Nagoya demonstrates why they remain a sporting giant in their own right.By participation, the Asian Games are already bigger than Paris. By character, they are something entirely different.
