The 2026 Asian Games Are About to Kick Off in Japan

Level: Intermediate

Vocabulary

Delegation – a group of people sent to represent a country or organization at an event.
Example – Japan is sending the largest delegation to the 2026 Asian Games, with more than 900 athletes.

Budget – the amount of money planned or available to pay for something.
Example – The budget for hosting the Games grew far larger than organizers originally expected.

Venue – a place where an event, such as a sports competition, takes place.
Example – Some athletes will stay near unusual venues, including a cruise ship docked by the stadiums.

Debut – the first time something appears or is presented publicly.
Example – Surfing and padel will both make their debut at the Asian Games this year.

Legacy – the lasting effect or benefit that remains after an event or period of time.
Example – Cities often hope a major sporting event will leave a positive legacy for years to come.

The 2026 Asian Games Are About to Kick Off in Japan

Starting September 19 and running through October 4, the city of Nagoya and the surrounding Aichi Prefecture will host the largest multi-sport event in Asia: the 2026 Asian Games. It is only the third time Japan has hosted the Games, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994, and organizers are preparing to welcome one of the biggest editions in the event’s history.

Forty-six nations are taking part, including the Asian Refugee Team, a group made up of athletes who do not currently have a country able to send them to international competition. Japan is sending the largest delegation of any nation, with 932 athletes, followed by South Korea with 792 and China with 628. In total, athletes will compete for 469 medals across 43 different sports.

Part of what makes this year’s Games notable is what is new. Six sports will make their Asian Games debut: freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, teqball, and even “virtual taekwondo.” Esports will also award medals for the first time, with 11 separate esports events on the schedule. The decision has reignited a familiar debate: should competitive video gaming be treated the same as traditional sports like swimming or athletics? Supporters point to the skill, reaction time, and years of practice esports athletes put in. Critics argue something is lost when a “sports” event includes competitions that do not require physical movement at all.

Housing so many athletes and officials created its own challenge. Organizers originally planned facilities for about 15,000 people, but the final numbers of athletes and officials ended up higher than expected. Their solution was creative: some competitors will stay aboard the Costa Serena, a cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier, while others will live in temporary, container-style villas built specifically for the Games.

None of this came cheap. Early estimates put the cost of hosting the Games at around 85 billion yen, or roughly 560 million dollars. By last year, that figure had climbed to about 140.5 billion yen, or 927 million dollars, an increase of more than 60 percent. Cost overruns like this are common with major international sporting events, and they routinely spark the same argument in host countries: does the pride, tourism, and global attention a city gains from hosting make up for spending hundreds of millions of dollars, especially when that money could be used elsewhere?

Organizers have also faced smaller, more immediate headaches. A month before the opening ceremony, last-minute changes to the competition schedule caused confusion among athletes, coaches, and spectators trying to plan around specific events. It is a reminder that even years of preparation cannot guarantee a perfectly smooth rollout once an event this large actually arrives.

Still, for the athletes stepping onto the field for the first time in a new sport, or wearing their country’s colors on a stage this size, the Games represent something bigger than budgets and schedules. For eighteen days, Nagoya becomes a meeting point for nearly every corner of Asia, and for many competitors, it may be the biggest stage they ever compete on.

Discussion

Would you want to attend or watch the opening ceremony of an event like the Asian Games? Why or why not?

The cost of hosting the Games grew from about 560 million dollars to 927 million dollars. Do you think it is worth it for a city to spend that much money on a sports event?

Esports will now award medals at the Asian Games. Do you think video gaming should be treated the same as traditional sports like swimming or track and field?

Some athletes will stay on a cruise ship instead of a normal athletes’ village. What do you think of this creative solution?

The Games include an Asian Refugee Team made up of athletes without a country to represent them. Why do you think a team like this matters?

If your country hosted a major international event like this, what do you think the biggest challenges would be?

Sources

Wikipedia: 2026 Asian Games

Official Games Site: Aichi-Nagoya 2026

Olympics.com: Asian Games 2026 Venues — Full List of Stadiums and Arenas