Asia’s leading athletes are gathering in Japan for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, where competitors will pursue continental titles, first podium finishes and, in some sports, automatic qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Al Jazeera reports that six sports will make their Asian Games debuts in this edition.
In women’s tennis, the Philippines’ 21-year-old star Alexandra Eala is described as a leading contender for gold. She enters the competition after winning her first WTA 1000 title and reaching the third round of the US Open. With defending champion Zheng Qinwen and former world number one Naomi Osaka absent, Eala has an opportunity to improve on the bronze medal she won in 2022. Al Jazeera says she will also skip the Beijing Open because the Asian Games champion receives automatic Olympic qualification.
The men’s javelin is expected to be shaped by the withdrawal of India’s Neeraj Chopra and the uncertain fitness of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion. Sri Lanka’s 23-year-old Pathirage is pursuing another title after winning at the Diamond League, Commonwealth Games and Ultimate Champion events. According to Al Jazeera, he has twice exceeded 92 metres this season and is targeting Nadeem’s Asian record of 92.97m.
Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi will be seeking women’s javelin gold in front of the home crowd after setting a national record of 68.92m and winning the Ultimate Champion event. China’s 18-year-old Yan Ziyi, the world number one, provides a major challenge after recording a 71.74m throw in May—the sixth-best mark in women’s history and an Asian and world under-20 record. She was unbeaten in five Diamond League competitions before finishing second to Kitaguchi at the Ultimate Champion event.
India will defend its men’s cricket title with attention on 15-year-old batter Sooryavanshi, whom Al Jazeera identifies as a record-setting prospect. Swimming also brings notable names: an Olympic champion is returning to the venue where he first broke 47 seconds in the men’s 100m freestyle, while China’s 13-year-old individual medley specialist will make her Asian Games debut after winning medals and setting an Asian record at the Chinese national championships. According to Xinhua, cited by Al Jazeera, the teenager said she was excited and urged herself to train hard.