NAGOYA, Japan — The Summer Asian Games closed on the 4th after a 16-day run, the first time Japan has hosted the event in 32 years. The competition also drew criticism that it fell short of the standards expected of the Games, as problems with lodging, transportation and training facilities mounted during the event.
The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held its closing ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya. Delegations from participating nations joined the roughly 90-minute ceremony, which looked back on 16 days of competition.
The Games were the third Summer Asian Games held in Japan, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. The event returned after a three-year gap because the 2022 Hangzhou Games were postponed by a year because of COVID-19. Events were spread across several regions centered on Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, including Osaka, Shizuoka and Gifu.
The Games drew about 10,000 participants from 45 National Olympic Committees along with a refugee team, under the slogans "IMAGINE ONE ASIA" and "Here, as one." But with problems persisting in accommodations, transportation, training sites and venue conditions, observers said the Games were limited in their ability to unite participating nations as the slogan suggested.
South Korea finished third overall with 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze medals. China took first place with 169 gold, 89 silver and 83 bronze, followed by Japan with 83 gold, 95 silver and 91 bronze. South Korea held onto third place for a second straight Games after Hangzhou but failed to reach its target of at least 40 gold medals.
As at the opening ceremony, Nagoya-born director Yukihiko Tsutsumi served as general producer of the closing ceremony. After a performance celebrating the athletes' achievements, delegations entered the stadium. Seo Chae-hyun, who won gold in women's lead sport climbing the previous day, carried the South Korean flag as the country's flag bearer.
Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura thanked athletes, officials and volunteers in his closing address, saying the goal of "Here, as one" had become a reality at these Games.
Following an address and the declaration of closure by Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, the OCA flag was lowered, and the organizing committee handed the torch and the OCA flag to the organizing committee of Doha, Qatar, the next host city.
The next Summer Asian Games will be held in Doha. The event is scheduled for 2030, but the possibility of 2031 has also been raised as calls grow to revise the hosting cycle and operating format in the wake of the complaints about these Games. The idea is to hold the Summer Asian Games in the year before the Summer Olympics so that some events can serve as Olympic qualifiers and top athletes are encouraged to take part. Al Thani, however, referred to the next Games as being "four years" away in his closing remarks.
The Doha organizing committee staged a performance under the theme "This is yours." High jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim appeared both in person and on video, and equestrian athlete Jassim Al Kuwari rode onto the stage on horseback. The scene recalled the 2006 Doha Asian Games opening ceremony, when a rider on horseback climbed to the cauldron to light the flame.
The flame that had burned over the venues for 16 days was then extinguished, and the Games ended with a performance of the Japanese traditional dance Bon Odori and "Matsuken Samba" by Ken Matsudaira, a singer from Toyohashi in Aichi Prefecture.
