20th Asian Games to open today in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya

NIHON E YOKOSO

(Renowned Japanese dancer and bilingual writer Hiromi Maruhashi writes for Kerala Kaumudi from Nagoya.)

Japan is known as the Land of the Rising Sun. But now, it is the land where golden dreams are rising. As the 20th Asian Games open today in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, about 350 km from Tokyo, we Japanese are filled with excitement. Nagoya is also in a festive mood.

The Asian Games are an opportunity not just to showcase our sporting strength, but also to introduce the world to the beauty of our nature, the modernity of our technology, the calmness of our lifestyle and the gentleness of our traditions. Ours is a history of rising from setbacks. Japan is a country that has kept the flame of survival alive through the smallest sparks of hope. It is to this country that we welcome the sporting warriors of Asia.

Beyond competition, sporting events also carry a strong message of participation and friendship. Many of my friends are eagerly waiting to watch the Indian kabaddi team's matches. As someone who visits Kerala every year, I have a special interest in Malayalam-speaking athletes as well. With a full heart, I welcome the talented athletes from 45 countries.

To everyone, “Nihon e Yokoso” — welcome to Japan.

The sporting dreams of Asia's largest continent are taking wing today in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. A total of 10,840 athletes from 46 countries across Asia will compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. There will be 493 medal events across 43 sports.

Along with regular sporting events, several disciplines will make their Asian Games debut, including teqball, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, BMX freestyle, virtual taekwondo and expanded esports.

India ready to showcase its strength

India's best-ever performance in Asian Games history came at the previous edition in Hangzhou, China, where the country finished fourth with 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals.

India is aiming to win more medals this time. The Indian contingent includes several athletes who have won medals at the previous Asian Games, the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.

Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh are among India's shooting prospects. PV Sindhu will compete in badminton, while Mirabai Chanu will represent India in weightlifting. Avinash Sable will be among the athletics medal hopes, along with Malayali athletes Sreeeshankar Murali, Ancy Sojan and Mohammed Afsal.

In boxing, India will look to Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain, while Antim Panghal and Aman Sehrawat will be among the wrestling contenders.

India's medal hopes are mainly centred on shooting, wrestling, badminton, athletics, squash and archery. Gold medals are also expected from the men's and women's cricket, hockey and kabaddi teams.

Malayali wings

Apart from Sreeshankar and Ancy Sojan, Malayali athletes Mohammed Afsal, Krishna Jayashankar, N. Thaufiq, T.S. Manu, U. Karthik, Ansa Babu and Anu Raghavan are part of India's athletics contingent. In badminton, India will have Treesa Jolly, H.S. Prannoy and M.R. Arjun. Sanju Samson is part of the cricket team, while Sajan Prakash will compete in swimming.

Other Malayali athletes representing India include Vidarsha K. Vinod in shooting; Prasanna Kumar and Parvathy Geetha in kayaking; Megha Pradeep in canoeing; Aleena Anto in rowing; Manu Francis and Prince Noble in sailing; Akshaj Shenoy in esports; and Mohammed Nihal, John Joseph, K. Anand and Erin Varghese in volleyball.

• 768-member Indian contingent
• 503 athletes
• 269 male athletes
• 234 female athletes
• 205 coaches and officials

Athletes to stay on cruise ship

For the first time in Asian Games history, a large cruise ship has been arranged as accommodation for athletes. The 300-metre-long Costa Serena, a Concordia-class Italian cruise ship, can accommodate around 4,000 people. Temporary cabins made of wood have been arranged for around 2,000 people, while hotel rooms have been provided for the others.