NAGOYA —The 20th Asian Games open in Japan on Saturday bringing together a bumper 17,000 athletes and officials, among them Olympic and world champions.

Here’s a guide to Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle.The Games mainly take place in the port city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture.

Nagoya has more than two million residents and is the fourth biggest city in Japan by population. It was flattened in World War II.

The Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000, will be the main venue including hosting athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Swimming — one of the most closely watched events — is 350 kilometres (200 miles) east in the capital Tokyo. The Games, which take place every four years, finish on October 4.