Asian Games to open in Incheon Friday

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 18, 2014, 17:08 Updated : September 18, 2014, 17:08

 

The 17th Asian Games will open in Incheon, South Korea, Friday for a 16-day run, with about 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries participating.

The opening ceremony will be held at the 61,944-seat Incheon Asiad Main Stadium under the direction of film director Im Kwon-taek and ceremony organizer Jang Jin.

A pre-ceremony event set for 6:00-7:18 p.m. will feature a number of celebrities, including poet Ko Un, Grammy-winning soprano Sumi Jo, actors Jang Dong-gun and Kim Soo-hyun, musical actress Ok Ju-hyun, K-pop superstar Psy and K-pop boy group JYJ, the organizers said.

A total of 439 gold medals in 36 sports are up for grabs at the 2014 Asian Games.

China has set a goal of taking the top spot in the medal standing for the ninth consecutive time, while South Korea sets a target of 90 golds or more to be second in overall medal count for the fifth consecutive time in a row.

Incheon will be the third South Korean city to host the Games, following the capital city of Seoul in 1986 and Busan in 2002.

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