The Asian Games held a torch-lighting ceremony in Tokyo on Tuesday as Japan counts down to the multisport spectacular that features more athletes than the Olympics.

The 20th edition of the Games will be held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4.

Japanese sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu lit the torch at Tokyo’s National Stadium, where the Olympics were held largely behind closed doors in 2021, a year later than planned because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tokyo hosted the Asian Games in 1958 and a similar ceremony will take place on Thursday in 1994 host Hiroshima, before the two flames come together in Nagoya on Saturday to officially kick off the torch relay.

Kiryu said the continent’s biggest sporting event would provide a moment of joy after fans were mostly locked out of the Olympics.

“For the athletes the cheers give you power,” he said.

“The fans who come to watch will also see how impressive it is when it’s happening live in front of you, different from watching it on TV.”

About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected at the Games.

Among those in action will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class talents in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

Athletes will stay in a variety of accommodation, including a cruise ship that will be docked in the middle of Japan’s typhoon season.

“It’s not just athletics but lots of different sports, so it’s a good chance to discover what’s out there,” said Kiryu.

Teen stars

A further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in wooden shipping container-style huts in Nagoya’s Garden Pier area while the rest will stay in hotels.

That includes in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.

“For the athletes the accommodation is a place to relax and socialise with their fellow competitors,” said Yagi.

“To ensure that all athletes can enjoy a comfortable stay and deliver their best performance, preparations for accommodation are entering their final stage.”

Eala will be among the most prominent athletes competing in Nagoya, and the 21-year-old will be looking to continue her rapid rise in women’s tennis.

The world number 20 became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA title when she triumphed at the Washington Open earlier this month.

She is hot property in her home country, sparking a rush of interest in tennis and inspiring youngsters to take up the sport.

Sooryavanshi will also turn heads after announcing himself as a major new talent in world cricket.

The gifted teenager became the youngest cricketer to represent India last month when he debuted in a Twenty20 match against England.

‘Palpable excitement’

Sooryavanshi will be hoping to win gold at Japan’s newly built cricket ground, where defending champions India could face arch-rivals Pakistan in the men’s final.

Swimmer Yu has also made a name for herself with her astonishing progress in the pool, setting a new women’s 200m individual medley Asian record last year.

Yu, who turns 14 in October, will be part of a Chinese team that will again look to top the medals table after dominating on home soil at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

China won a record 201 golds, almost four times as many as second-place Japan.

As always at the Asian Games, traditional sports like athletics, swimming and football sit side by side with more local disciplines such as kabaddi, sepak takraw and wushu.

New events at the 20th edition of the Games include mixed martial arts, padel, teqball and virtual taekwondo.

Esports returns after a hugely successful debut in Hangzhou, with Nagoya organisers saying they hope to inspire elderly people to keep their minds sharp by picking up a controller.

With the Asian Games returning to Japan for the first time since 1994, the organising committee’s Yagi said the atmosphere was “gradually becoming palpable”.

“We hope to move you and excite you, and to showcase the wonder of sport,” he said.