Hong Kong-China will field a delegation of approximately 580 athletes across 38 sports at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) confirmed at a flag presentation ceremony on Tuesday, 1 September. The total delegation, including support staff and officials, will exceed 800 members.

Scale of the Delegation

The 580-strong athlete contingent represents one of Hong Kong-China's larger deployments to a multi-sport event. The Games run from 19 September to 4 October, spanning venues across Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Gifu, Osaka, Shizuoka prefectures, and select venues in the Greater Tokyo Area — several of which hosted events during the 2020 Summer Olympics.

What SF&OC Said

Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the SF&OC of Hong Kong, China, acknowledged the logistical complexity of an edition spread across multiple cities. 'With events spanning multiple cities, this edition of the Asian Games presents significant challenges to the delegation's support and coordination work. Drawing on years of experience, SF&OC will continue to serve as the strongest support for athletes, attending to every detail of their participation so that they can compete without distraction, focus entirely on their performance, give their best, and strive for excellence,' he said.

Key Facts About the 2026 Asian Games

Between 6,000 and 7,000 athletes from 49 nations and territories are expected to compete across 469 events in 71 disciplines of 43 sports — a reduction of 12 events compared to Hangzhou 2022. Six disciplines will make their Asian Games debut: Freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, teqball, and virtual taekwondo.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 19 September at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya. Both the opening and closing ceremonies will be produced by Chinese firm Dafeng Industry, with Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi serving as creative director.

Unique Hosting Arrangements and Contingency Plans

Notably, the 2026 Asian Games will not feature a traditional Athletes Village. Instead, between 4,000 and 5,000 guests will be accommodated aboard the Costa Serena cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier. Given that the Games fall near the end of the Pacific typhoon season, organisers have prepared contingency evacuation plans in the event of tsunamis, typhoons, or other natural disasters — an unprecedented logistical consideration for the Games.

With the Games now weeks away, all participating delegations, including Hong Kong-China, are finalising preparations for what promises to be one of the most logistically distinctive editions in Asian Games history.