Japan prepares record-breaking bid as Asian Games return after 32 years

Tokyo announced that Japan will welcome the Asian Games next month, marking the first hosting in 32 years and the third overall after events in 1958 and 1994. The nation is sending a delegation of about 930 athletes, the largest in its history, to compete in 43 sports alongside roughly 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries. Organisers hope the home advantage will help Japan exceed its previous best of 78 gold medals, a target inspired by second-place finishes behind China in the last two Games.

High-profile competitors include Paris Olympic wrestling champion Akari Fujinami, javelin gold-medalist Haruka Kitaguchi, hurdler Rachid Muratake, and Olympic swimmers Tomoyuki Matsushita and Shin Ohashi. The program also features surfing, gymnastics, table tennis, badminton, football, volleyball, softball, squash, cricket, and esports, with events spread across Aichi, Nagoya, Tokyo, Gifu, Shizuoka and Osaka. The torch will be lit in Tokyo and Hiroshima before uniting in Nagoya, and Fujinami and BMX rider Rimu Nakamura will carry the flag at the opening ceremony in Paloma Mizuho Stadium.