All aboard as Asian Games preparations enter 'final stages'

Tokyo hosts the Asian Games in a month, featuring young prodigies, more athletes than the Olympics, and a cruise ship to house competitors during typhoon season. Approximately 15,000 competitors and officials will attend from September 19 to October 4 in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area. Notable participants include Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala, 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the Aichi-Nagoya Games organising committee, expressed excitement as preparation enters its final stages. The Games will use temporary accommodation, including a cruise liner (Costa Serena), wooden shipping containers, and hotels, to keep costs low. Eala, a 21-year-old tennis star, aims to continue her rapid rise in women's tennis, while Sooryavanshi, the world's youngest cricketer, seeks a gold medal in Japan's new cricket stadium.

Swimmer Yu Zidi, turning 14 in October, hopes to break more records for China, which dominated the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games with 201 gold medals. The Asian Games, returning to Japan for the first time since 1994, promise a unique experience with traditional and local sports, as well as esports and mixed martial arts, under the leadership of the organizing committee's Yagi, who hopes to excite and showcase the wonder of sport.