JAKARTA -- The Asian Games were to kick off with the opening ceremony Saturday night in Jakarta, with many competitions starting on Sunday, although events in a few team sports had already started.
Yasuhiro Yamashita, head of the Japanese delegation, emphasized again on Saturday before the ceremony that he considers the games a "heavily important event" in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
"The Asian Games is the last comprehensive sports event before the 2020 Tokyo Games," Yamashita said at a press conference in Jakarta. "Demonstrating what the athletes have trained for to the fullest extent [at the Asian Games] will lead to [good results] at the 2020 Games."
Yamashita, who also serves as the chairman of the Japanese Olympic Committee's Sports Committee, said the JOC targets 30 golds at the Tokyo Olympics.
In addition to sports in which Japan has performed well in the past such as judo, wrestling, gymnastics and swimming, Yamashita said that he also has high expectations for such sports as badminton, table tennis and athletics at Tokyo 2020.
Following the opening ceremony on Saturday evening, the competitions of the 2018 Asian Games will officially start at various venues in Jakarta and also in Palembang in southern Sumatra island, running until Sept. 2.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
