The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games kicked off in Japan on September 19 with an opening ceremony.
Japan is hosting the Games for the third time, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994, as Japanese media outlets report.
The event features 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 medal events, with more than 17,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions taking part.
Japan has also sent its largest-ever contingent of 932 athletes, aiming to surpass its record of 78 gold medals set at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok.
The Games are being organized by The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They also feature non-Olympic sports such as sepak takraw, described as kick volleyball, and kabaddi, an elevated version of contact tag, as well as esports.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Blue Impulse aerobatic team drew a large heart in the sky above central Nagoya. The ceremony was opened by violinist Taro Hakase, who performed on a heart-shaped central stage, while 240 local dancers later formed the word "Welcome."
Qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is at stake in sports including hockey, surfing and squash.
Events are being held in Nagoya and other cities in Aichi Prefecture, as well as in neighbouring Shizuoka and Gifu prefectures, Tokyo and Osaka.
The Games will run for 16 days through October 4 under the slogan "Imagine One Asia." The event is held on a four-year cycle.
In a related incident, the organizing committee apologized for mistakenly playing the North Korean national anthem before a South Korean men's hockey match a day earlier.
By Nazrin Sadigova
