Photography

Wushu, Teqball, and More: The 2026 Asian Games

More than 10,000 athletes from 46 countries are now gathered in Japan, competing in 469 events across 43 different sports, during the 20th edition of the Asian Games.

By Alan Taylor
An athlete, seen in mid-air, upside-down, during a leaping kick, with a ball flying toward an opponent
Toru Hanai / Getty
Sorrasak Thaosiri and Jirati Chanliang of Thailand compete against Ahmad Kassem Arabi and Mohamad Hafez of Lebanon at the teqball men’s doubles final on day one of the 20th Asian Games at Nagoya City Higashiyama Sports Center on September 20, 2026, in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
An athlete poses while making a fierce face during a martial-arts competition.
Long Lei / Xinhua / Getty
Li Jianming of China competes during the Nanquan round of the men’s Nanquan and Nangun final of Wushu in Nagoya, on September 22, 2026.
A swimmer reaches the surface of a pool during a race, the water smoothly clinging to them, giving a distorted view of their head.
Andy Chua / Reuters
Japan’s Kotomi Kato swims in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke final during the 2026 Asian Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on September 24, 2026.
A martial artist performs, wielding a flexible blade.
Mark Baker / AP
Malaysia’s Mandy Cebelle Chen competes in the women’s wushu taijijian final in Nagoya, on September 20, 2026.
Many archers stand side-by-side, aiming their compound bows.
Anushree Fadnavis / Reuters
Athletes take aim during the compound men’s individual 1/16 eliminations at Okazaki Central Park Multipurpose Square on September 28, 2026.
Basketball players, including one exceptionally tall player, shake hands after a match.
Anushree Fadnavis / Reuters
China’s Ziyu Zhang and teammates shake hands with Team Indonesia players after China won the women’s Group A basketball game on September 21, 2026.
Four artistic swimmers perform a routine, rising halfway out of a pool.
Naoya Azuma / The Yomiuri Shimbun / Reuters
Thailand’s team competes in the artistic swimming mixed team free routine at Hamamatsu Swimming Center ToBiO in Hamamatsu City, on September 28, 2026.
A table tennis player concentrates, the ball flying in front of their face.
Andrew Couldridge / Reuters
Japan’s Miwa Harimoto, alongside Hina Hayata, competes against China’s Man Kuai and Manyu Wang during the women’s doubles table tennis gold-medal match in Toyota, on September 28, 2026.
Two martial artists fight, one landing a punch to the other's face.
Toru Hanai / Getty
Jean Claude Saclag (left) of the Philippines and Daisuke Maruyama of Japan compete during the mixed martial arts men’s traditional -65 kilogram semifinals on day two of the 20th Asian Games at Nagoya City Inae Sports Center on September 21, 2026.
Two athletes leap high on either side of a net, kicking and blocking a small ball.
Katsura Tanioka / Getty
Pichet Pansan of Thailand scores a point while Muhammad Ubaidur Rohman of Malaysia attempts to block during the sepaktakraw men’s team Regu Group A match on day two of the 20th Asian Games on September 21, 2026.
A runner looks upset after a race, wet from falling rain.
Chalinee Thirasupa / Reuters
Japan’s Yuma Yamamoto looks dejected after finishing fourth in the women’s 5,000-meter final at Paloma Mizuho Sports Park on September 28, 2026.
A weightlifter celebrates after a lift, their barbell bouncing in front of them.
Mark Baker / AP
China’s Yang Yang celebrates his lift during the men’s 60-kilogram weight-lifting final in Nagoya, on September 24, 2026.
A freestyle cyclist performs during a competition, flipping in the air.
Aaron Favila / AP
China’s Liu Xing competes in the men’s cycling BMX freestyle final in Nagoya, on September 27, 2026.
A skateboarder kicks during a jump at a competition.
Yong Teck Lim / Getty
Kirin Petkiree of Thailand competes in the skateboarding men’s street final on day eight of the 2026 Asian Games.
A competitor splashes a cup of water in their face during a marathon walk.
Lee Jin-man / AP
Kazakhstan’s Yasmina Toxanbayeva splashes water on her face as she competes in the women’s marathon walk in Nagoya on September 27, 2026.
A cricketer bowls a ball toward a batter.
Yong Teck Lim / Getty
Marufa Akter of Bangladesh bowls during the cricket women’s bronze-medal match against Pakistan at Korogi Athletic Park on September 22, 2026, in Nisshin, Aichi.
A boy wears headphones, sitting at a gaming station during a competition.
Jiji Press / AFP / Getty
Japan’s Yuki Kurihara competes in the Puyo Puyo Champions final of the esports event at the 2026 Asian Games on September 26, 2026. Japan’s 11-year-old esports prodigy Yuki Kurihara won the gold medal, defeating a series of opponents up to three times his age.
An athlete, seen in mid-air, laid flat-out, during a trampoline competition
Mohd Rasfan / AFP / Getty
China’s Yan Langyu competes in the final of the men’s trampoline gymnastics event at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium on September 27, 2026.
A weightlifter makes an intense face while lifting a barbell over their head.
Yuichi Masuda / Getty
Djuraev Akbar of Uzbekistan competes in the snatch during the weight-lifting men’s 110-kilogram final on day 10 of the 2026 Asian Games.
A fencer celebrates, kneeling and shouting, after a match.
Toru Hanai / Getty
Yuka Ueno of Japan celebrates winning the gold medal against South Korea in the fencing women’s foil team gold-medal match at Aichi Sky Expo on September 26, 2026.
A competitor lifts their leg high, kicking aball toward their opponent in a teqball game.
David Gray / AFP / Getty
Indonesia’s Sumaya (left) plays a point against Myanmar’s Wai Khin Hnin during their women’s singles final teqball match in Nagoya on September 20, 2026.
Members of a team celebrate in several dogpiles on a court.
Katsura Tanioka / Getty
Team Malaysia players celebrate winning the sepaktakraw men’s Team Regu gold-medal match against Thailand at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium on September 25, 2026.
An athlete releases a shot put, a small cloud of chalk coming off their hand.
Yong Teck Lim / Getty
Samedy Sim of Cambodia competes during the men’s shot-put final on day seven of the 2026 Asian Games on September 26, 2026.
A runner starts a race, seen in silhouette on a rainy day.
Katsura Tanioka / Getty
Dharmveer Choudhary of India starts the men’s 4x400-meter relay at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on September 29, 2026.
A fencer leaps in the air, celebrating a win.
Yong Teck Lim / Getty
Kirill Prokhodov of Kazakhstan celebrates after defeating Hyomin Jang of South Korea to win gold in the fencing men’s epee team finals on day eight of the 2026 Asian Games on September 27, 2026, in Tokoname, Aichi.

About the Author

Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.
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