Sawt Falasteen - Asian Games: Bigger than Olympics, young stars and a cruise ship

Here's a guide to Asia's biggest sporting spectacle.

- Where? -

The Games mainly take place in the port city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture.

Nagoya has more than two million residents and is the fourth biggest city in Japan by population. It was flattened in World War II.

The Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000, will be the main venue including hosting athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Swimming -- one of the most closely watched events -- is 350 kilometres (200 miles) east in the capital Tokyo.

The Games, which take place every four years, finish on October 4.

- What? -

Athletes will compete in 43 sports across the two weeks.

Aside from athletics and swimming, the other major draws will be badminton, boxing, cricket, football, golf, gymnastics, table tennis, tennis and weightlifting.

In a bid to attract younger viewers there will be eSports, break dancing and BMX biking.

Padel, the fast-growing racquet sport, MMA and teqball make their Asian Games debuts.

Then there are more obscure regional sports including the combat sport kurash, kabbadi and wushu. There is also virtual taekwondo.

- How many? -

The Asian Games are bigger than the Olympics in numbers, with more than 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials.

There will be 45 countries and territories competing.

At the previous Games in 2023 -- held a year late because of the pandemic -- hosts China comfortably topped the medals table ahead of Japan, South Korea, India and Uzbekistan.

Iran and North Korea were also in the top 10. At the bottom end of the table came Syria and Palestine.

- Who? -

There will be Lin Yu-ting, the Taiwanese boxer whose run to gold at the Paris Olympics ignited a major gender controversy.

Of the rising stars there is supremely talented 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Even younger than him is Chinese swimming sensation Yu Zidi, who won a world championships medal aged 12 last year.

Alexandra Eala, the rising 21-year-old tennis star from the Philippines, will be another hunting gold, as will Pakistan's Paris Olympics javelin champion Arshad Nadeem.

In eSports South Korea's formidable team is led by Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, one of the biggest names in competitive gaming.

- Hold tight -

Japan has not built a dedicated athletes' village in a bid to reduce costs, so some competitors will stay in hotels.

Others will be housed on a cruise liner docked in Nagoya's port, with temporary wooden cabins also used.

Organisers are confident the ship in particular will make for a memorable experience -- but will be hoping the weather behaves itself or those on board might be in for a choppy time.

September-October is typhoon season in Japan.

The vessel, the Costa Serena, can house about 4,000 people and is the twin ship of the infamous Costa Concordia.

That vessel sank off Tuscany in 2012, killing 32 people.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST