The 20th Asian Games are underway in Japan. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 opened on September 19 and closes on October 4, bringing athletes from across Asia together for a programme that includes athletics, swimming, team sports, martial arts and esports.
What's on the programme?
The official sports list gives spectators plenty to choose from. Here are some starting points:
- Track, field and pool: athletics includes track races, field events, the marathon and race walking. Swimming sits alongside diving, artistic swimming and water polo.
- Team competitions: football, hockey, handball, baseball and softball are joined by T20 cricket. Basketball has both five-a-side and 3x3 competitions, while volleyball has indoor and beach versions.
- Rackets and precision: badminton, table tennis, tennis, soft tennis, squash and padel share the programme with archery, shooting and golf.
- Combat sports: boxing, judo, taekwondo, karate, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, kurash, wushu and mixed martial arts all appear on the programme.
- More to explore: kabaddi, sepaktakraw and esports are part of the Games too. Cycling covers road, track, mountain bike and BMX disciplines; gymnastics includes artistic, rhythmic and trampoline competitions.
You don't need to follow every sport. Pick a familiar event, then make time for one you rarely see. A swimming session and a sepaktakraw match would make two very different afternoons.
Who's taking part?
Hosts Japan are joined by China, Korea, India, Indonesia, Thailand and teams from across Asia. The organiser's participating-team list also includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, alongside Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and many others. The OCA Refugee Team is taking part too.
Participating teams and flags
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Chinese Taipei
DPR Korea
Hong Kong, China
India
Indonesia
IR Iran
Iraq
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Korea
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao PDR
Lebanon
Macao, China
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Philippines
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syria
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen- OCA Refugee Team
Follow your team and choose a session
Use the official daily schedule and results service to find events by day and follow the results. Check the session details before making plans: heats, preliminary matches and finals are different parts of the competition, and schedules can change.
The Olympic Council of Asia's Games page has event news and the sports programme. Between sessions, try recognising the teams' flags on CapQuiz.