The V Asian Para Games will take place from the 18th to 24th of October, 2026, in Nagoya, the administrative centre of Aichi Prefecture of Japan. The grand opening ceremony for the large-scale sports event will take place on Sunday at «Paloma Mizuho» Stadium.
Every four years, starting in 2010, this multi-sport event has brought together top athletes of the continent with disabilities. The current multi-sport event, officially known as «Aichi-Nagoya 2026», returns to its traditional four-year cycle, following the postponement of the 2022 Games to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nagoya will become the first Japanese city to host the Asian Para Games.
Their official emblem harmoniously echoes the logo of the Asian Games, but has its own unique identity, expressed in the tonality of flame of the Games and elements of the Japanese flag.
The motto «Imagine one heart» became the semantic centre of the competition. It symbolises commitment of parasport to breaking down barriers between people, regardless of disability, and reminds us of how much we all have in common.
The hopes and emotions of the Asian Para Games are embodied by a mascot named Uzumin. His name is derived from the Japanese words «Uzu» (whirlpool) and «Izumi» (spring, source). Symbolism of the mascot expresses confidence that passion of the athletes will coalesce into a powerful vortex in Aichi-Nagoya, and the sincere emotions generated there, like a pure spring, will spread throughout Asia.
In total, the continental sports festival will bring together thousands of athletes with disabilities from 45 countries, who will compete for 489 sets of medals in 18 sports (19 disciplines).
In our country, the development of sports and support for Paralympic athletes receives enormous government attention. This is the fifth time in history that Turkmenistan is sending a delegation to the Asian Paralympic Games. This time, three para-powerlifting masters will defend honour of the country at the competition in Japan: Sergey Meladze, Mayagozel Ekeyeva, and Ishkuvvat Charyyev. The core of the Turkmen team is made up of experienced athletes who have repeatedly proven their high level of skill on the international stage:
• Sergey Meladze (46 years old) will compete in the men's weight category up to 72 kg. Sergey is a silver medallist and a two-time bronze medallist at the Asian Para Games. In 2010, in Guangzhou (China), he won bronze in the under 67.5 kg category; in 2014, in Incheon (Republic of Korea), he took silver in the under 72 kg class; and in 2018, in Jakarta (Indonesia), he once again became a bronze medalist (in the under 72 kg category). At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, S. Meladze achieved an impressive 6th-place finish in the under 67.5 kg weight category, with a lift of 180 kg.
• Mayagozel Ekeyeva (40 years old) – an International-Class Master of Sports who competes in the women’s under-86 kg weight category. Her achievements include bronze medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Para Games, as well as a 5th-place finish at the 2023 World Championships in Dubai. Mayagozel has extensive experience competing in the Paralympic Games: in 2008 in Beijing, she placed 7th (lifting 82.5 kg in the under-56 kg category); in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, she finished 5th (105 kg in the under-73 kg category); and in 2024 in Paris, she secured 6th place (112 kg in the under-86 kg category) among the top 10 athletes of the world.
• Ishkuvvat Charyyev (32 years old) will compete for medals in the under 107 kg weight category, which features 8 entrants.
Throughout their history of participation in the Asian Para Games, Turkmen athletes have won 6 medals – 2 silver and 4 bronze. The last time athletes from Turkmenistan reached the podium at these competitions was in 2018 in Jakarta, when Sergey Meladze won a bronze medal in the under 72 kg category.
The wealth of experience possessed by the national team’s leaders, combined with their determination, gives Turkmen fans every reason to look forward to a successful performance and new sporting trophies in Nagoya.
