Japan kicks off Asiad countdown

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The Asian Games begin in Japan next month featuring teenage prodigies, more athletes than the Olympics and a cruise ship that will house competitors in the middle of typhoon season.

About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected at the event, which takes place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from 19 September to 4 October.

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

Organizers hope the athletes will have a “unique experience” staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.

A flame-lighting ceremony was held in Tokyo on Tuesday, with a similar event planned for 1994 Asian Games host Hiroshima on Thursday, before the flames came together on Saturday in Nagoya to begin the torch relay.

Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the Aichi-Nagoya Games organizing committee, told AFP that “it feels like the Games are right around the corner.” “The final stages of preparation are now upon us,” he said.

“We will continue working as one right until the last moment and we hope that people from all over Asia, not just Japan, will enjoy the event.”

Organizers have opted for temporary athlete accommodation to cut costs, hiring the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena for the event.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, which features 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars.

Officials are confident that the plan will not be disrupted by Japan’s typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.

A further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in wooden shipping container-style huts in Nagoya’s Garden Pier area while the rest will stay in hotels.

That includes in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.

“For the athletes the accommodation is a place to relax and socialise with their fellow competitors,” Yagi said.

“To ensure that all athletes can enjoy a comfortable stay and deliver their best performance, preparations for accommodation are entering their final stage.”

Eala will be among the most prominent athletes competing in Nagoya, and the 21-year-old will be looking to continue her rapid rise in women’s tennis.

The world No. 20 became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA title when she triumphed at the Washington Open earlier this month.

She is a hot property in her home country, sparking a rush of interest in tennis and inspiring youngsters to take up the sport.

Sooryavanshi will also turn heads after announcing himself as a major new talent in world cricket.

The gifted teenager became the youngest cricketer to represent India last month when he debuted in a Twenty20 match against England.

Sooryavanshi will be hoping to win gold at Japan’s newly built cricket ground, where defending champions India could face arch-rivals Pakistan in the men’s final.

Swimmer Yu has also made a name for herself with her astonishing progress in the pool, setting a new women’s 200m individual medley Asian record last year.

Yu, who turns 14 in October, will be part of a Chinese team that will again look to top the medals table after dominating on home soil at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

China won a record 201 golds, almost four times as many as second-place Japan.

As always at the Asian Games, traditional sports like athletics, swimming and football sit side by side with more local disciplines such as kabaddi, sepak takraw and wushu.

New events at the 20th edition of the Games include mixed martial arts, padel, teqball and virtual taekwondo.