The Asian Games 2026 formally opens in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, today, September 19, with the opening ceremony scheduled from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM IST at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. For viewers in India, the ceremony will be shown on Sony Sports and streamed on SonyLIV.
India has also made a last-minute change to its flag-bearers. Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker will carry the flag alongside kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat after two-time Asian Games shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor was ruled out of the ceremony because his official ceremonial kit did not reach him in time.
Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony time in India
The opening ceremony begins at 6 PM local time in Japan, which is 2:30 PM IST, and is scheduled to run for two hours. The venue is Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. The ceremony concept is "Harmonic Heart Beat", under the broader "Heart Beat Aichi-Nagoya" theme.
Where to watch Asian Games 2026 live in India
Sony Sports Network is carrying the Asian Games in India. The opening ceremony is available on Sony Sports 1 and Sony Sports 5, with regional-language coverage through Sony Sports 3 in Hindi and Sony Sports 4 in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Online streaming is available through SonyLIV.
Why Pawan Sehrawat replaced Tajinderpal Singh Toor
Toor was originally selected as India's male flag-bearer, but the Indian Olympic Association confirmed that Pawan Sehrawat would replace him. Reuters reported that Toor's ceremonial kit had not reached him in Japan in time for the opening ceremony. Toor is based with the athletics contingent away from Nagoya and is chasing a third consecutive Asian Games shot put gold.
The change does not affect Toor's participation in the competition. Manu Bhaker remains India's female flag-bearer. Sehrawat was part of India's gold-medal-winning men's kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games.
India's sporting action has already started
Although the Games officially open today, several events began earlier. India's women's cricket team has already beaten Japan by eight wickets and advanced to a semifinal against Bangladesh. Headline Thread's Asian Games 2026 cricket coverage tracks India's fixtures and knockout path.
On Saturday morning, Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza lost her women's singles teqball semifinal 1-2 to Indonesia's Ima Sumaya. She remains in contention for a historic bronze medal, which would be India's first Asian Games medal in teqball.
What India is chasing at Aichi-Nagoya
India enters Aichi-Nagoya after its record 107-medal campaign at Hangzhou, including 28 gold medals. The target is another triple-digit finish, with athletics, shooting, archery, wrestling, weightlifting, hockey, kabaddi and cricket among the biggest medal opportunities.
The Games run through October 4. With the opening ceremony only hours away and competition already producing important results, search interest is likely to shift quickly from ceremony details to India's medal tally, daily schedule and individual medal events once the full programme begins.
