Manu Bhaker, a Kabaddi Star, and a Hydrogen-Lit Cauldron: The Asian Games Officially Begin Today
The 2026 Asian Games officially opened today in Nagoya, Japan, with shooter Manu Bhaker and kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat leading India's delegation as flagbearers, while the Games' cauldron was lit using hydrogen energy for the first time in the event's history.
After more than a week of preliminary competition, the 20th Asian Games get their formal, ceremonial start today.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games kicks off this evening at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, with over 11,000 athletes from 46 nations gathering for what organizers are calling, under the official slogan "Imagine One Asia," a genuine celebration of continental unity. The Games mark Japan's return as Asian Games host for the first time in 32 years, running through October 4.
India's ceremonial delegation will be led into the stadium by two-time Olympic medal-winning shooter Manu Bhaker and kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat, named the country's joint flagbearers for the Parade of Nations. The selection came with a small last-minute change — shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, a two-time defending Asian Games champion, had initially been named a flagbearer but was swapped out after his ceremonial kit didn't make it into his luggage in time.
While tonight's ceremony marks the symbolic beginning, India's actual medal hunt is already technically underway. Quimcy Dsouza is competing today in the women's singles semi-finals of teqball — a hybrid of football and volleyball making its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya — facing Indonesia's Sumaya at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center.
One striking detail from the ceremony itself: organizers lit the Games' cauldron using clean hydrogen energy for the first time in Asian Games history — a small but symbolic nod to Japan's broader push around sustainable energy technology, woven directly into one of the event's most visible ceremonial moments.
For Indian viewers, the opening ceremony airs live on Sony Sports Network (channels 1 through 5) and streams via SonyLIV, with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. IST. The broadcast spans multiple regional languages, reflecting the scale of Indian audience interest in an event where the country's 499-athlete delegation will be chasing improvement on its record 106-medal haul from the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
With competition already live in several sports and the ceremonial curtain officially rising tonight, the next 16 days promise a packed continental sporting calendar — one Indian fans, in particular, will be watching closely from the very first evening.
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