Tactical Mastery in the Early Legs
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Manu T.S. (Lead-Off): Started cleanly, keeping India well within touching distance of the frontrunners to execute a seamless first exchange.
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M.R. Poovamma (Second Leg): Bringing experienced track craft to the quartet, the veteran runner made a decisive move along the backstretch to take the lead by the 800-meter mark.
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Jay Kumar (Third Leg): Maintained India’s advantage with a measured 400m, holding off chasing teams through the final bend to hand over the baton ahead at 1200 meters.
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Kiran Pahal (Anchor Leg): Anchored the team home under pressure, securing second place in the heat after being narrowly edged out by China at the finish line.
The Finalist Lineup & Tactical Considerations
Tonight’s Medal Showdown
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Event: Mixed 4x400m Relay Final
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Time: 22:15 JST / 18:45 IST
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India’s Qualification: 4th Overall (3:16.23)
India qualified for the mixed 4x400m relay final at the Asian Games 2026 after finishing second in its heat with a time of 3:16.23.
The Indian quartet of Manu T S, Poovamma, Jay Kumar and Kiran Pahal finished fourth overall in the qualification standings. Bahrain topped the qualifiers with 3:15.73, setting the fastest time heading into the final.
India Through to the Final
India’s 3:16.23 secured its place in the final and kept the team in contention for a medal.
The Indian quartet will return to action tonight, with the final providing another opportunity to improve on its qualifying performance.
Teams can make changes to their line-ups before the final, with each team permitted to replace up to two athletes. India could therefore make adjustments to its combination for the medal race.
Bahrain Leads Qualifying
Bahrain’s 3:15.73 was the fastest time recorded in qualification, putting the team at the top of the standings.
India’s 3:16.23 was the fourth-fastest overall, leaving the Indian team within striking distance of the leading teams heading into the final.
With the medal positions to be decided tonight, the Indian quartet will look to produce a faster performance when it returns to the track.
India Targets a Strong Final
The final will give India a chance to improve its qualifying time and challenge for a podium finish.
The Indian team will need to maintain its momentum across all four legs as the race unfolds, with the final 400m set to determine the medal positions.
India is through to the mixed 4x400m relay final and will race tonight for a place on the podium.
China’s athletics team delivered a powerful statement on the opening day of competition at the Asian Games, sweeping both the men’s and women’s half marathon walk events in commanding fashion. With twin gold medals secured through tactical brilliance and sheer resilience, China has laid down an unmistakable marker as the track and field events prepare to get underway tomorrow.
The tone for the competition was set early by Shengji Shi, who captured China’s very first athletics gold of the Games in the men’s half marathon race walk. Battling overcast skies and a light drizzle, Shi paced the race well. By the halfway mark, he had built a commanding lead that he never relinquished, crossing the finish line in an impressive 1:23:32.
Reflecting on his victory, Shi noted that sticking strictly to his pre-race strategy was the key to handling the tricky conditions. His dominant performance left the rest of the field trailing, with Japan’s world record holder Toshikazu Yamanishi taking silver over four minutes behind in 1:28:01, while South Korea’s 35-year-old veteran Byeong-kwang Choe claimed bronze in 1:28:35 during his final championship appearance.
The women’s half marathon event provided an equally thrilling showcase of Chinese supremacy. Yang Liujing put on a stellar performance to secure gold with a time of 1:33:40. Drawing on her specialization in the gruelling 20km category, the 28-year-old athlete successfully navigated the damp morning conditions that eventually gave way to sunshine.
Kazakhstan’s Morozova Kristina fought hard to claim the silver medal in 1:35:25, staying tightly locked on the tempo set by the leaders. China’s Jiang Yunyan rounded out the podium to take bronze with a razor-thin finishing time of 1:35:26, just 0.01 seconds behind Kristina, after overcoming a costly two-minute penalty that kept her from the top step of the podium.
Together, these performances underline a dominant opening chapter for China’s endurance squad. While tactical racing and podium placement took precedence over record-breaking times on a damp, challenging course, the psychological advantage of capturing both opening gold medals cannot be overstated.
As the dust settles on the race walk course, momentum is firmly with the Chinese delegation. With these results inspiring the broader team, the stage is now perfectly set for the full track and field program to kick off tomorrow. Fans can expect heightened anticipation and fierce competition as the rest of Asia’s elite athletes look to respond to China’s early dominance.
With the 20th Asian Games now under way, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC) has responded to mounting reports about accommodation and catering problems affecting delegations.
In a statement issued on September 22, AINAGOC said it was aware that some delegations had posted messages expressing confusion after boarding the cruise ship on September 16.
The organisers rejected reports that delays were caused by their failure to submit accommodation information. According to AINAGOC, the “primary reason for the boarding delays and confusion” was the time required to resolve “incomplete documentation submitted by some delegations.”
The committee said it was working with Costa Cruises and JTB Corporation, which has been contracted to operate the cruise ship, and would continue working with service providers to ensure the smooth reception of athlete delegations.
AINAGOC also responded to criticism of food and beverages served at the Techball venue, saying that the items “were not provided by the AINAGOC.”
The organisers said meal systems had been established at accommodation facilities with sports, competition schedules and training requirements in mind. They also said they were addressing individual requests concerning food allergies and religious or cultural dietary restrictions.
The statement ended with a commitment to “listen sincerely to the voices of the delegations”, make “necessary improvements” and ensure that teams can participate in the Games “with peace of mind.”
But for India, the accommodation story had already moved beyond social-media complaints and into the daily experience of athletes and officials.
Indian athletes arriving in Nagoya faced a series of logistical problems in the opening days of the Games. On September 16, Indian athletes aboard the cruise ship reportedly waited for hours without being allocated rooms. The New Indian Express reported that some rowers were left without food while waiting and that some athletes were eventually asked to share accommodation. Shooters were moved to another hotel after the accommodation originally allocated to them was taken by others.
The accommodation issue was subsequently acknowledged by Indian officials. Around 30–35 Indian athletes were reported to have been affected, with additional hotel rooms eventually arranged.
For athletes, however, the problems were not limited to having a bed at the end of the day.
The Indian shooting contingent, for example, has had to deal with a venue that is a considerable distance from its accommodation, making transport and travel time an additional part of the competition equation. Other members of the contingent have faced check-in complications and changes to their accommodation arrangements.
The wider problem at these Games is that there is no conventional Athletes’ Village. Delegations are spread across hotels, temporary accommodation and, in some cases, a cruise ship. That arrangement was designed as an alternative to building a traditional village, but the complexity of moving thousands of athletes between different locations has created its own logistical challenges. Reuters reported that more than 17,000 athletes and officials are being accommodated through this system.
AINAGOC’s latest statement therefore comes at an awkward moment. The organisers insist that systems are in place and that some of the reports circulating about the causes of the problems are incorrect. But athletes from several countries have already experienced delays, confusion and disruption.
For India, the immediate concern is simple: once the Games begin, every hour spent dealing with accommodation, food or transport is an hour that athletes would rather spend recovering, training or preparing to compete.
The Asian Games are ultimately judged by what happens on the field. But getting athletes to that field rested, fed and ready is part of the competition infrastructure too.
GL events Japan, the Japanese arm of French event-services giant GL events, was a contractor for several overseas pavilions at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai. Subcontractors subsequently complained of unpaid construction bills, with some taking legal action. Reports have described disputes involving multiple pavilions, while the Osaka authorities and Expo organisers have largely treated the payment disputes as matters between private parties.
And yet GL events did not disappear from Japan’s major-event ecosystem.
It became an official Prestige Partner of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian and Asian Para Games. More importantly, this is not merely a logo-on-the-wall sponsorship. GL events was selected as the Event Delivery Entity responsible for a huge part of the operational infrastructure of the Games.
Its responsibilities include temporary structures, power, lighting and sound, venue management, press operations, spectator services, medal ceremonies, food and beverage, cleaning, waste management and logistics.
The reported value of the Asian Games contract is ¥63 billion — roughly ₹3,700 crore at current exchange rates. Aichi prefectural officials themselves confirmed that the figure of ¥63 billion had been reported and described the required expenses as being around that level.
The remarkable part is that the Osaka Expo controversy was already known before the Asian Games contract was being implemented.
In July 2025, Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura was questioned about reports of more than ¥300 million in unpaid Expo construction costs involving GL events. He acknowledged that there had been payment-related disputes involving several pavilions and said the organisers were checking the facts.
By August, the governor said the Asian Games organising committee had received an explanation from GL events. He also acknowledged that GL would necessarily have to subcontract work to a large number of companies for the Games and said measures were being sought to ensure those companies could undertake the work with confidence.
There is an even more revealing detail in the selection process.
According to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly, GL events Japan was selected as a candidate for a negotiated contract because its parent company, GL events SA, was already a Prestige Partner of the two Games. The contract was subsequently approved by the organising committee’s board.
So this is not simply a case of the same company winning two unrelated jobs.
The company involved in a major unpaid-contractor controversy at Osaka was already positioned as a prestige partner of the Aichi-Nagoya Games — and its Japanese subsidiary subsequently received the enormous event-delivery assignment.
And the story does not end there.
GL events Japan has also been selected as one of the 10 certified GX House suppliers for GREEN×EXPO 2027, the international horticultural exposition in Yokohama. The official Expo association’s own material lists GL events Japan among those suppliers.
That means one company appears repeatedly in the infrastructure of three enormous Japanese public events:
OSAKA EXPO → AICHI-NAGOYA ASIAN GAMES → YOKOHAMA GREEN×EXPO.
That, by itself, does not prove corruption, improper influence or “vested interests”. There is no evidence established in the sources cited here that would justify making that accusation as fact.
But it absolutely raises a legitimate question:
How does a company facing unresolved disputes over unpaid subcontractor bills at one major Japanese event continue to secure prominent roles in two more?
And perhaps the bigger question is about the procurement system itself.
Was GL events selected because of its demonstrable international event-management experience? Was its existing status as a Prestige Partner a significant factor? What due diligence was conducted after the Osaka disputes emerged? What safeguards were imposed to protect Asian Games subcontractors? And why was the company subsequently acceptable as a supplier for Yokohama’s 2027 exposition?
Those are questions worth answering.
Because when billions of yen in public-event infrastructure are involved, “it is a private contractual dispute” becomes an increasingly unsatisfactory explanation for the public to simply accept.
The issue isn’t merely whether GL events can deliver an Asian Games.
It is whether Japan’s major-event procurement system is sufficiently transparent about who gets these contracts, why they get them, and what happens when things go wrong.
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Scrapping the dedicated Athletes’ Village: ~¥60 billion / ₹3,300 crore saved (60% of total cuts)
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Relocating swimming and equestrian venues to Tokyo: ~¥21 billion / ₹1,155 crore saved
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Slashing temporary competition venue infrastructure: ~¥9 billion / ₹495 crore saved
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Consolidating hotel networks (cutting 35 facilities): ~¥4 billion / ₹220 crore saved
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Reducing soccer competition venues: ~¥4 billion / ₹220 crore saved
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Shortening athlete stay durations: ~¥3 billion / ₹165 crore saved
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Canceling marathon swimming events entirely: ~¥1 billion / ₹55 crore saved
By Sambit Pradhan
The Housing Breakdown: Diaspora Backup Plans and Midnight Scrambles
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Vanishing Credentials: Female rowers Poonam, Aleena Anto, and Anshika Bharati arrived with valid accreditation, yet were erased from the host registration system.
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Administrative Co-ed Assignment: In a startling oversight, gymnast Pranati Nayak—India’s sole gymnastics entry—and her coach Ashok Mishra were assigned to the same room aboard the Costa Serena cruise ship.
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The Missing Letter: Separate accommodations for Mishra were eventually negotiated at 1:30 a.m., only for hotel staff to deny him access for another 45 minutes because a single letter was missing from his name in the system. He finally gained access to his room after 2:00 a.m.
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Restricted Access: Pistol shooting head coach Samaresh Jung was issued accreditation that inexplicably barred him from entering the primary competition arena and field of play.
Transportation Gridlock and Two-Hour Commutes
Ceremonial Gaffes
The Cost of Adaptation
Eritrean distance runner Dawit Seare produced a stunning late surge to deny Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and claim the men’s 5km title at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen.
For a few seconds, it appeared Jakob Ingebrigtsen had done what he so often does — timed his finishing move perfectly.
It was not enough.
Eritrea’s Dawit Seare responded in the closing metres to overtake the Norwegian and win the men’s 5km gold at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Seare clocked a national record of 12:56, while Ingebrigtsen finished second in 12:59, also a Norwegian record. Another Eritrean, 19-year-old Saymon Amanuel, completed a remarkable podium for the country with a personal best of 13:00.
The race was decided in a furious final stretch.
Seare moved into the lead with roughly a kilometre remaining after Ethiopia’s Mezgebu Sime had briefly forced the pace. Ingebrigtsen, who had spent much of the race tucked into the leading group, gradually moved through the field and eventually found himself in second.
With around 30 seconds of running left, the Norwegian made his move.
Ingebrigtsen edged past Seare and briefly looked to have secured another major championship victory. But Seare immediately responded, drawing level before pulling away in the final metres to complete one of the biggest wins of his career.
The victory continues a rapid rise for the 21-year-old Eritrean.
Seare won the African 5000m title earlier this year and had already shown his potential at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga in 2023, where he finished fourth. Three years later, he has moved from just outside the podium to the top step of the world stage.
His 12:56 was not only a championship-winning performance but also an Eritrean national record.
For Ingebrigtsen, the silver came on his 26th birthday. The Norwegian arrived in Copenhagen having won the European 5000m title in August and the 5000m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest just eight days earlier. Copenhagen was his second-ever road 5km race.
The result also highlighted the depth of Eritrea’s distance-running programme. Amanuel, only 19, ran 13:00 for bronze, becoming the second Eritrean on the podium.
Australia’s Ky Robinson finished fourth in 13:04, setting an area record, while Uganda’s Keneth Kiprop also ran 13:04 for fifth. Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune was sixth in 13:07, with Sime seventh in 13:08.
France’s Jimmy Gressier, the European-record holder at 5km, finished 14th in 13:17 after helping set the early pace.
The women’s 5km title went to Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw, who won in 14:41, ahead of Kenya’s Caroline Makandi Gitonga in 14:48 and Australia’s Rose Davies in 14:50.
But the headline from Copenhagen belonged to Seare.
The favourite had made his move. The Eritrean had one response left.
It was enough for world gold.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 officially opened in Nagoya on Saturday, September 19. For India, the ceremony marked the start of a fortnight of competition, with athletics set to take centre stage from September 23.
The opening ceremony at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium formally marked the start of the 20th Asian Games. Competition in several sports had already begun before the ceremony.
The Games run until October 4. Athletes from 45 countries and regions are competing across 43 sports.
Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 officially open
For Japan, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is the country’s third Asian Games. Tokyo hosted the Games in 1958, followed by Hiroshima in 1994.
The Games carry the slogan “Imagine One Asia”. The opening ceremony followed the theme “Harmonic Heart Beat”.
The theme reflects the organisers’ emphasis on connection and unity through sport.
The ceremony followed a challenging build-up for Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Organisers decided against constructing a conventional athletes’ village.
Instead, the organisers are accommodating athletes in hotels, temporary facilities and a cruise ship. Questions were subsequently raised over accommodation, transport and other Games arrangements.
India’s flag-bearers at opening ceremony
India had its own last-minute drama before the ceremony.
Manu Bhaker and Pawan Sehrawat led the Indian contingent as flag-bearers.
Sehrawat replaced shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who had originally been selected alongside Bhaker. Toor could not take part in the ceremony because of an issue involving his official ceremonial kit.
India athletics campaign begins on September 23
For Indian athletics, the opening ceremony is only the starting point.
The Indian athletics team will begin its Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games campaign on September 23. Competition will continue through September 29.
Athletes will compete at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, while race walkers will compete on its designated course.
The Indian athletics contingent features athletes across the full range of track and field events.
The programme includes sprinting, middle- and long-distance running, hurdles, jumps, throws, combined events and race walking.
Avinash Sable will be among the prominent Indian athletes in action. Tejaswin Shankar, Vishal T K, Vithya Ramraj and Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland are also part of India’s athletics programme.
Neeraj Chopra absence adds attention
The absence of Neeraj Chopra will be one of the major talking points around athletics at the Asian Games 2026.
Chopra, who won the men’s javelin gold at the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games, is not competing in Nagoya.
His absence places greater attention on the rest of the Indian athletics team. Athletes will look to convert recent performances into medals on the continental stage.
For some, the Asian Games will be about medals. For others, the focus will be on finals, personal bests, qualification marks or establishing themselves as the next generation of Indian athletics.
Athletics takes centre stage from September 23
The opening ceremony offered the customary spectacle of flags, music, performances and thousands of athletes gathered under one roof.
But athletics is still four days away.
The real test begins on September 23.
The starter will be called to the line. The bar will go up. The throws will begin. The race walkers will settle into their rhythm.
For the Indian athletics team, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will now move from ceremony to competition.
