Overview
- The opening ceremony was held at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya on Sunday, where Emperor Naruhito officially declared the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games open.
- Organizers say about 3,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions are competing across 18 sports staged in Aichi and neighbouring Shizuoka Prefecture.
- Japan has entered roughly 280 athletes and publicly set a goal to exceed its record 198 medals from the 2018 Jakarta Games.
- Disabled volunteers have raised concerns about gaps in accessibility after the Asian Games, prompting organizers to say they will apply lessons and improve facilities and staff training during the Para Games.
- The event traces its roots to the FESPIC movement started by Yutaka Nakamura in 1975, a legacy that helped spread disability sport across Asia and drove practical gains in barrier-free infrastructure and public attitudes.