Sawt Falasteen - Japan seeks to ramp up Asian Games buzz with year to go

The pandemic-delayed 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China, featured about 12,000 athletes -- the biggest Asian Games in history boasting more competitors than the Olympics.

Hosts Japan hope next year's event, when athletes will stay on a "floating village" cruise ship and in converted shipping containers, will make a similar splash.

Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the Aichi-Nagoya Games organising committee, told AFP that excitement was still muted but he is confident it will build over the coming 12 months.

"Public awareness of the Games needs to be higher," he said.

"It's partly because they are still a year away and partly because international sporting events like the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup will be held before then.

"But we won't wait for these events to finish, we'll be proactive in getting the message out there," he added.

About 15,000 athletes and officials are expected at the Games, which are taking place in the city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi region from September 19 to October 4, 2026.

To cut costs, organisers plan to house some participants on a luxury cruise liner and others in temporary shelters made from shipping containers.

On Saturday, organisers will launch the countdown to the Games with exhibition events including BMX and three-on-three basketball.

- 'Ultimate stage' -

Competition venues are spread far and wide, with swimming taking place in Tokyo, almost 350 kilometres (220 miles) from Nagoya.

The main venue for the Games will be the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which is scheduled to open in March next year with a capacity of 30,000.

Yagi said preparations for the event were "progressing smoothly".

"We will continue to accelerate preparations across all areas to provide Asia's leading athletes with the ultimate stage for peak performance," he said.

The Asian Games feature an eclectic mix of events, with regional sports such as sepak takraw and kabaddi alongside traditional Olympic disciplines athletics and swimming.

Mixed martial arts will make their Asian Games debut as organisers look to attract a younger generation of fans.

Surfing is also included for the first time, while board games such as bridge and chess have been axed along with dragon boat racing.

Esports will again feature following its runaway success in Hangzhou, where fans packed into a futuristic 4,500-seat arena to watch star gamers like South Korea's Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.

Cricket has also been retained and a permanent ground is to be built to leave a legacy for the sport in baseball-obsessed Japan.

- 'Global attention' -

China topped the medal table in Hangzhou, winning more than double the amount of medals than second-placed Japan with almost four times as many golds.

Several athletes who topped the podium went on to triumph at last year's Paris Olympics, including Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen and swimmer Pan Zhanle.

Twelve-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi has been tipped to be one of the breakout stars in Aichi-Nagoya after becoming the youngest medallist in world championships history in July.

Yu and others will use the Asian Games as an important stepping stone to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

After fans were largely locked out of the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Asian Games organisers will be hoping the Japanese public snap up tickets for Aichi-Nagoya.

The World Athletics Championships are currently taking place in Tokyo and Yagi believes they will whet appetites for fans to experience more live sport.

"The global attention the event gets will provide an opportunity to showcase Japan's sporting culture and build anticipation for the Asian Games," he said.

D.Qudsi--SF-PST