Hong Kong, Sep 1 (IANS) Hong Kong-China will send about 580 athletes to compete in 38 sports in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) announced at a flag presentation ceremony on Tuesday.
The Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, with Hong Kong sending a delegation of more than 800 members, including approximately 580 athletes.
"With events spanning multiple cities, this edition of the Asian Games presents significant challenges to the delegation's support and coordination work. Drawing on years of experience, SF&OC will continue to serve as the strongest support for athletes, attending to every detail of their participation so that they can compete without distraction, focus entirely on their performance, give their best, and strive for excellence," said Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the SF&OC of Hong Kong, China.
Between 6000 to 7000 sportspersons from 49 nations and territories are expected to reach Japan for the 20th edition of the Asian Games and participate in 469 events in 71 disciplines of 43 sports at venues spread across cities in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and some venues in the Greater Tokyo Area that also hosted events during the 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as Gifu, Osaka, and Shizuoka prefectures.
The opening ceremony will be held on September 19 at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya. Both ceremonies will be produced by Chinese firm Dafeng Industry, and Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi was appointed as the creative director of the ceremonies.
The 2026 Asian Games is expected to include 469 medal events in 43 sports, a decrease of 12 events over Hangzhou 2022; Freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, teqball and virtual taekwondo will make their Asian Games debut.
The Games will not have a dedicated Athletes Village and instead will be hosted in small venues, with 4,000 to 5,000 guests hosted on the Costa Serena cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier.
The opening ceremony will be held on September 19 at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya. Both ceremonies will be produced by Chinese firm Dafeng Industry, and Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi was appointed as the creative director of the ceremonies.
Because the Games will take place towards the end of the Pacific typhoon season, organisers have put in place several contingency plans if athletes were to be evacuated from the cruise ship due to tsunamis, typhoons or other natural disasters.
--IANS
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