Arya News - The ceremonies are scheduled to take place three times a day through the 18th, the day before the opening ceremony for the games, which The Yomiuri Shimbun is sponsoring.
NAGOYA – Athletes arriving for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 were greeted Wednesday at Port of Nagoya Garden Pier in Nagoya, in the first official welcoming ceremony for the games.
The ceremonies are scheduled to take place three times a day through the 18th, the day before the opening ceremony for the games, which The Yomiuri Shimbun is sponsoring.
Athletes from Japan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia attended the first ceremony Wednesday morning.
Applause broke out across the pier, located at the Port of Nagoya, as delegations took to the stage in the rain after being welcomed with performances of taiko drums.
To cut costs, organizers did not build an athletes village, but instead are accommodating athletes in mobile lodging facilities set up at the pier and other facilities.
“I hope this venue, surrounded by rich greenery and the open sea, will help foster exchanges,” Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura, who heads the organizing committee, said at the ceremony.
Kosei Inoue, who heads the Japanese delegation, said, “I want our athletes to deliver performances that move people and inspire courage.”