Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Highlights: Pawan Sehrawat, Manu Bhaker leads India contingent

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: The athletes parade was followed by speeches from Olympic Council of Asia president Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the The governor of the Aichi Perfecture, Omhura Hideaki. After that, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito declared the 2026 Asian Games open. This was followed by the official flag hoisting ceremonies and the official oath taking ceremony by the athletes and officials.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Neeraj Chopra has sent in his best wishes for the Indian contingent at the Asian Games 2026. The star javelin thrower will unfortunately miss this edition of the continental event due to a knee ligament injury.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: The Sri Lankan contingent now arrives at the Asian Games opening ceremony. A total of 156 athletes (100 men and 56 women) have been sent to the Games at Aichi-Nagoya. Even though modern pentathlete Isiwaruna De Silva and artistic gymnast Nuyara Nisindi Fernando are the flag-bearers, the star man of the contingent is Romesh Tharanga Pathirage, who is making waves and is the favourite to win the men's javelin throw gold medal.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: A contingent of 165 athletes across 22 sporting disciplines leads the way for Pakistan at the Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony. Fatima Sana, the women's cricket team captain and squash star Noor Zaman leads the contingent.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: India’s contingent has entered the stadium, with flag-bearers Pawan Sehrawat and Manu Bhaker leading the way as the athletes march into the arena.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: The athletes have started making their way into the stadium, with Afghanistan the first contingent to enter the arena, followed by Bahrain.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Traditional Japanese performances have kicked off the opening ceremony, setting the stage for the formal start of the Asian Games in Nagoya.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: The opening ceremony is underway at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, with the IOC chief and Japan’s Emperor and Empress among the dignitaries in attendance.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Organisers will hope the opening ceremony, directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, can shift the focus away from the issues that have overshadowed the build-up to the Games. The ceremony, themed “Harmonic Heart Beat”, is aimed at celebrating unity and solidarity across Asia at an event that has often been shaped by geopolitical tensions and long-standing rivalries.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Nihar Shah, Teqball India's technical director, who is in Nagoya with the country's three-athlete squad, remembers seeing each of those players when they were unable to land a service properly. These first generation of "teqers" – as they are known and as he calls them – have landed within a step of a first medal at the Asian Games in this debut sport that blends football and table tennis. (Ready Full Story)

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Japan’s much-discussed reputation for precision and efficiency has come under the spotlight as the country hosts more than 11,000 athletes from 45 nations and regions across 43 sports, with 369 gold medals on offer. Instead of a traditional Games village, organisers have housed athletes and officials in hotels, temporary wooden containers and a cruise ship docked in the bay as part of a cost-cutting approach. However, the arrangements have drawn complaints from several delegations, including the hosts Japan, over issues such as room mix-ups and double bookings. South Korea has also raised concerns about the cramped conditions inside the containers at Garden Pier, particularly for its basketball players.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: After missing out on the opportunity to be India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony, Tajinderpal Singh Toor will now turn his focus to the competition, where he will aim for a third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in men’s shot put. He won gold at the 2018 Jakarta Games and retained his title at the 2023 Hangzhou edition with a best throw of 20.36 metres.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Quimcy Dsouza came agonisingly close to reaching the Asian Games final, but an Indonesian fightback ended India’s hopes in the women’s singles Teqball semifinal on Saturday. The 24-year-old Mumbai player looked in control early on, winning the opening game 12-7 as she used the curved table effectively, mixing sliding serves with sharp diagonal smashes. Her movement and footwork were also on point as she appeared to have the momentum on her side. However, Sumaya fought back strongly to turn the contest around and deny Dsouza a place in the final.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: With concerns growing over accommodation, long travel times and other organisational issues ahead of the Games, Manu Bhaker urged the Indian contingent to look beyond the problems and focus on making the most of the experience. In a video message shared by the Indian Olympic Association, the shooting star acknowledged that athletes may face difficulties but said the Asian Games are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should be enjoyed rather than dominated by complaints.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Pawan Sehrawat spoke about the significance of being given the opportunity to carry the Indian flag at the Asian Games opening ceremony, saying the honour has kept him energised despite the demanding schedule and lack of sleep. The kabaddi star said the chance to hold the tricolour represents a moment of immense pride and still feels surreal to him.

"It is a moment of immense pride for me. As I was saying, we have a set training schedule. Normally, whatever schedule our coaches or the IOA (Indian Olympic Association) decide, we train according to that. Today we had a gym session, and I had not slept since last night. After doing my gym session in the morning, I came straight here. So, I have been awake for many hours now, but I still have so much energy because of this opportunity—to carry my nation's flag in my hand. Even while talking about it right now, it feels surreal," he said.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: India’s athletics team has been training at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13, using the camp to acclimatise ahead of the Asian Games. The contingent is expected to arrive in Nagoya on September 21, two days before the athletics events get underway.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Pawan Sehrawat will join Manu Bhaker as India’s flag-bearer at the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday after replacing Tajinderpal Singh Toor. The celebrated shot-putter will miss the ceremony as he has not received his official kit in time. Sehrawat, 30, was part of India’s gold-medal-winning men’s kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games and will now lead the Indian contingent alongside Bhaker in Nagoya.

Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Asian Games opening ceremony from Japan.