Nagoya, Japan, September 20, 2026: The 20th Asian Games officially opened on Saturday at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. For me, it was not only my first Asian Games as a Young Reporter, but also the first time I had watched an entire Opening Ceremony with my full attention.
As a former athlete, I had attended opening ceremonies before, but I usually saw them simply as part of the competition. This time, sitting in the stands as a reporter, I started noticing things I had never really paid attention to before: the expressions of the performers, the music, the lights and all the small details that came together to create such a powerful atmosphere.
The ceremony was held under the theme “Harmonic Heart Beat,” symbolising how people from across Asia can connect and come together through sport.
Throughout the ceremony, I was impressed by how every performer seemed to give their best, even though from high up in the stadium each person looked so small. Athletes from different places, cultures and backgrounds also came together in the same stadium. Watching all of this made me realise that such a big event is created by thousands of people, each playing their own part.
But the moment that touched me most came near the end of the ceremony, when the flame entered the stadium. I had learned about the torch relay and its meaning in class before, but seeing a real flame being passed from one torchbearer to another was completely different.
As I watched it move through the stadium, I suddenly felt what the Asian Games meant beyond competition and medals. The flame connected athletes, generations and people from different parts of Asia. I could not hold back my tears.
Maybe the moment meant even more to me because I had once experienced sport as an athlete. This time, I was seeing it from a new position, as a Young Reporter. When the flame was finally lit, “Harmonic Heart Beat” was no longer just the theme of the Opening Ceremony to me. For the first time, I felt its meaning.
