Chinese divers extended their amazing unbeaten record in the Asian Games, a series that began in 1974, while a Japanese official apologized Wednesday for the errors that accompanied the most prominent sporting event on the continent.
Chinese divers once again proved they are invincible, with China's total tally of gold medals rising to 150.
Host Japan ranks second by a large margin with 49 gold medals, ahead of South Korea, which has 24 gold medals.
Chen Yiwen and her compatriot Lian Junjie won gold in the last two diving competitions, making China completely sweep the competition for the fourteenth time in a row.
China has won all the gold medals in diving since its first participation in the Asian Games 52 years ago.
Chen, who won two Olympic gold medals in Paris 2024, said: “Girls are just as capable as boys. We push ourselves to perform more difficult jumps as well,” she added, adding: “Since we start competing, we are all trying to achieve achievements and increase the degree of difficulty.”
In tennis, Filipino star Alexandra Ayala reached the semi-finals with relative ease, amid cheering fans who came from far away to support her heroine.
The world number 18 and the most prominent candidate for the women's singles gold medal had to make an effort at the beginning before defeating Taiwanese Joanna Garland, born in England, with a score of 7-5 and 6-0 in her second match in Nagoya.
The gold winner qualifies for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Ayala said: “Representing my country and participating in such tournaments, the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, and hopefully the Olympics, are things that are dear to me and constitute a large part of my dreams.”
She will then play against China's Wang Shiyu, ranked 85th in the world.
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic champion who found herself at the center of a major controversy related to gender identity during Paris 2024, was guaranteed to win at least a silver medal.
Lin defeated Uzbekistan's Sitora Tordibekova 5-0 in the 60kg category to reach the final, making her one win away from winning a second gold medal in the Asian Games.
The 30-year-old boxer thanked the medical staff after the fight for treating the wound she suffered in her nose during the quarter-finals.
In football, South Korea will face Japan or Uzbekistan for the men's gold medal, after scoring the winning goal over China 2-1 in the 82nd minute.
The mayor of Nagoya apologized to the athletes for the organizational errors that bothered them during these games after a series of complaints.
The largest sporting event on the continent was marred by several problems, including a shortage of beds and transportation problems.
More than 17,000 athletes and officials are participating in the tournament, which is more than the number of participants in the Olympic Games, while countries accused the local organizers of mismanagement.
Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who also serves as acting head of the local organizing committee, said: “We must offer our apologies to the athletes and others who were harmed by these mistakes,” adding, “We must honestly review the mishandling that occurred.”
He continued: “There were human errors and a lack of communication with the national teams. “We are dealing with the situation based on what happened.”
Unlike previous tournaments, there is no athletes' village in an effort to save money, as participants stay in temporary container-style housing units, hotels, and the Costa Serena cruise ship.
Early in the tournament, local organizers apologized to South Korea after playing the North Korean national anthem by mistake.
There were also problems related to athletes' buses, as they did not run at the specified times, did not arrive at all, or went to the wrong sports facilities.
Japanese Mirai Ikeda, the first woman to win surfing gold at the Asian Games, is setting her sights on proving her worth against the best competitors in the world as she prepares to make her first Olympic appearance at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
With the inclusion of surfing for the first time in the Aichi-Nagoya Games, the 18-year-old athlete beat Chinese Yang Seki in the women's final yesterday, Tuesday, to grab the first gold, and secure an initial seat in the 2028 Olympics.
Japan also won the men's gold medal through Kano Igarashi, who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I am very happy,” Ikeda said Wednesday in the fan zone in downtown Nagoya. “I have worked very hard since qualifying for this tournament, so this medal was something I could not pass up, and I really wanted to take it home.”
However, Ikeda realizes that her skills are not yet at the level of the best in the world, and she wants to close this gap before the Olympics.
She added: “I still feel that I am not at the level of the best female racers in the world currently. “I need to work on my aerials, reverse spins, and fundamentally improve my overall surfing technique as well.”
She continued: “There are many aspects that require work on, and I am very excited about that.”
Ikeda will now focus on qualifying for the World Surfing Association Tour, for the opportunity to compete against the best female competitors in the world.
She said: “I plan to participate in as many tournaments as possible to qualify for the round.”
