There are plenty of familiar Olympic disciplines. Athletics, swimming and football remain central parts of the programme, alongside other established sports.

But then there are sports that give the Asian Games a distinctly regional identity. Kabaddi, for instance, is a major Asian team sport combining speed, strength and physical contact.

Teqball, a sport that combines elements of table tennis and football, is making its Asian Games debut. Virtual taekwondo, padel and mixed martial arts are also part of the programme.

Esports returns after making its debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games. That combination is one of the defining features of the continental event.

The programme can move from athletics and swimming — sports at the heart of the Olympics — to kabaddi, sepaktakraw, kurash and teqball, all within the same Games. It is also one reason the schedule has become so demanding.

Basketball began on September 10, more than a week before Saturday's opening ceremony. The men's basketball semifinals were played on Friday, a day before the Games were officially declared open.

Football has also been underway for several days. The first gold medal of the Games is expected on Sunday, with the triathlon among the events likely to produce the first champion.

Swimming will also provide one of the early highlights, with China's 100m freestyle world-record holder Pan Zhanle and 13-year-old sensation Yu Zidi among the names attracting attention. Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which serves as a floating temporary athletes' village.

(Reuters Photo) A very different athletes' villageThe scale of the Asian Games is not limited to the competition programme. A total of 17,000 athletes and officials are being accommodated across Japan.

But unlike the Olympics, Aichi-Nagoya does not have a traditional dedicated athletes' village. Instead, accommodation has been spread across hotels, converted wooden containers and a cruise ship.

The Costa Serena, an Italian cruise ship, is functioning as a floating athletes' village and can accommodate up to 5,000 athletes and officials. The arrangement is part of a broader effort to contain costs after the Tokyo Olympics, for which Japan officially spent $13 billion.

A government audit suggested the actual figure could have been twice that amount. But the unusual accommodation arrangements have also become one of the biggest talking points before the Games.

Athletes and officials have complained about cramped rooms, small beds and logistical problems. Some delegations have reported leaks in the converted wooden accommodation, while others have raised concerns about transportation and long journeys to training venues.

South Korea said the containers at Garden Pier were too cramped for its basketball players. Delegations have also complained about registration delays, late buses and athletes being sent to incorrect venues.

India's cricket authorities arranged separate hotel accommodation for the men's team because of the tight allocation of beds. The problems have added to the scrutiny surrounding the build-up, although the Olympic Council of Asia has described them as teething difficulties.

Asian Games Teqball (AP Photo) A 16-day sporting festival with a distinctly Asian identityThe Asian Games will run until October 4, bringing together more than 11,000 athletes across 43 sports and 45 participating countries and regions. Nagoya, Japan's third-largest metropolitan area after Tokyo and Osaka, is hosting the event.

5 million and is located roughly 350 kilometres south of Tokyo. The opening ceremony at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium provided the official starting point after a buildup marked by organisational problems.

Emperor Naruhito formally declared the Games open, with Empress Masako, IOC president Kirsty Coventry and OCA president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani among the dignitaries present. The ceremony's theme was “Harmonic Heart Beat”, with a heart-shaped stage forming the centrepiece.

Japan's father-and-son hammer-throwing duo Shigenobu Murofushi and Koji Murofushi jointly lit the cauldron at the conclusion of the torch relay. But the real measure of the Games will come over the next 16 days.

The Asian Games may not carry the same global prestige as the Olympics, but Aichi-Nagoya demonstrates why they remain a sporting giant in their own right. By participation, the Asian Games are already bigger than Paris.

By character, they are something entirely different.

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