KATHMANDU, Sept 17: The 20th Asian Games, bringing together nearly 11,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries, including Olympic and world champions, is underway in Japan. The 75-year-old continental sporting event features competition in 43 disciplines, with athletes from across Asia seeking medals and records.
Nepal has also begun its campaign, although its opening result was disappointing. The women’s volleyball team lost 3-0 to Japan in its first match at Komaki Park Arena in Nagoya on Wednesday. The formal opening ceremony is scheduled for September 19. Nepal is preparing to send 135 athletes across 21 sports.
Held mainly in Nagoya and the surrounding Aichi Prefecture, this Asian Games offers Nepal another opportunity to improve both its medal tally and overall competitiveness. Unlike previous editions, Nepal began preparations soon after the 19th Asian Games under what was called Mission 26. Former National Sports Council member secretary Tank Lal Ghising had set a target of winning Nepal’s first Asian Games gold along with double-digit medals.
That target reflects a long-standing ambition, but achieving it will not be easy. China, Japan, South Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan and Pakistan have large and highly competitive sporting systems. Many of their athletes regularly compete at world championships and the Olympics.
Nepal first participated in the Asian Games in 1951. It missed the second edition in Manila in 1954 and the fourth edition in Jakarta in 1962 but has otherwise remained a regular participant. Despite more than seven decades of participation, Nepal has never won an Asian Games gold medal.
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Three times, Nepal has come close. Taekwondo athlete Sabita Rajbhandari, Nepal’s men’s paragliding team in team cross country, and karate athlete Erika Gurung have won silver medals at the Games. Gurung, who won a historic silver at the 19th Asian Games, is again among Nepal’s main medal hopes. She has already reached Nagoya to compete in karate kumite.
Taekwondo and karate have produced Nepal’s strongest Asian Games results. Taekwondo has struggled in recent editions, while karate has emerged as a more reliable source of medals. Boxing, wushu, kabaddi and judo are also carrying medal hopes this time. Boxing remains Nepal’s second most successful Asian Games sport in terms of medals, while kabaddi has produced encouraging results in recent international competitions.
Nepali athletes also arrive with greater international experience. Recent performances have raised confidence, but the level of competition in Nagoya will be significantly higher. Nepal’s athletes will face some of Asia’s strongest sporting nations, where athletes have access to better infrastructure, coaching, competition and financial support.
The Asian Games itself is also changing. Alongside traditional events such as athletics, swimming, badminton, boxing, cricket, football, golf, gymnastics, table tennis, tennis and weightlifting, the programme includes sports aimed at younger audiences. Esports, breaking and BMX cycling have been given prominence. Padel, mixed martial arts and teqball are among the newer additions to the Asian Games programme.
Nepal has followed these changes by expanding its participation. The men’s cricket team, in particular, has produced notable international performances in recent years and will attract attention in Japan. Yet the basic challenge remains the same: Nepal has won 26 Asian Games medals in total, but none has been gold.
Nepal won its first Asian Games medal in taekwondo at the 1986 Seoul Games. Taekwondo later produced a silver at Bangkok in 1998. Karate and boxing have also contributed medals over the years. Nepal won a karate bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games and again looked to karate for success at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Games. At the 19th Asian Games, karate delivered one of Nepal’s most significant results when Erika Gurung won silver.
135 athletes, a major challenge
Nepal is preparing to compete in 21 sports with 135 athletes. Although the number of male athletes is higher, Nepali women will also have a strong presence across several disciplines.
The scale of the competition highlights Nepal’s challenge. Japan is fielding 919 athletes, China 803 and South Korea 780. Thailand, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and India are also sending large delegations. A total of 10,798 athletes have registered for the Games. Including coaches, managers and other officials, the overall participation is expected to approach 17,000.
Nepal cannot compete with these countries in terms of sporting infrastructure or delegation size. Yet international sport is ultimately decided by performance, not the size of a team. Nepali athletes have repeatedly shown that individual performances can overcome some of these structural disadvantages.
Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time. Tokyo hosted the event in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city by population, suffered extensive destruction during the Second World War and later developed into a major industrial and port centre.
The 30,000-capacity Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium will serve as the main venue for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics events.
Unlike previous Games, Nagoya has not built a separate athletes’ village. Organisers have sought to reduce costs by accommodating some athletes in hotels and others on a cruise ship at Nagoya Port.
The Games will run until October 4. For Nepal, the next two weeks will be about more than participation. They will test whether years of preparation can translate into stronger performances and medals.
Nepal’s Asian Games journey began in 1951. Seventy-five years later, the wait for a gold medal continues. The athletes in Nagoya now have the opportunity to bring that long wait closer to an end. For the next two weeks, the attention of Nepali sports fans will remain fixed on Japan, watching for performances that could add a new chapter to the country’s Asian Games history.
