Asian Para Games to open in Japan on the 18th; South Korea to compete in all events with a 357-member delegation

[Financial News] The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games will open in Japan. South Korea is sending a 357-member delegation, including 214 athletes and 143 officials, to compete in all 18 sports.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 18th, the Games will run through the 24th, with about 4,000 participants from 45 Asian countries. This will be the fifth Asian Para Games. Unlike previous editions, all sports on the program are official Paralympic sports.
The opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. that day at Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya. Track and field athlete Jang Min-ho and table tennis player Yun Ji-yu will serve as the South Korean delegation’s flag bearers. Jang Min-ho will compete in both the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, while Yun Ji-yu is a silver medalist from the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Minister Choi Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will attend the opening ceremony as the government’s representative and visit the athletes’ village on the morning of the 19th to encourage the delegation. He will then watch the men’s and women’s singles table tennis matches at Sky Hall Toyota in Toyota City, followed in the afternoon by the women’s 10m air rifle standing (SH1) event at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range. Table tennis was the sport that earned the South Korean delegation the most medals (28) at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
With accommodation split between a container-style athletes’ village and 17 hotels, and venues spread across several areas, medical and transportation support are key areas for inspection. During his visit to the athletes’ village, Minister Choi will review the operation of medical stations in each region and arrangements for transporting the delegation.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Paralympic Committee have conducted special training in 17 sports since last July. At the Games, they will set up medical stations at the athletes’ village and in six regions, and deploy 20 personnel, including doctors, nurses and physical therapists. They are also sending 36 sport-specific coordinators to support the delegation on site.
Sports science support, including recovery and fitness management, psychological counseling and competition video analysis, will also be provided. Korean-style lunch boxes will be served, and a “mobile convenience store” will operate.
Competition schedules and results by sport, along with medal standings, can be found on the website of the Republic of Korea delegation to the Asian Para Games.
Minister Choi said, “We will do our utmost to provide on-site support so that our athletes can fully showcase the skills they have been preparing at the competition venues.”
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter