The 18th edition of Asian Games will be officially declared open on Saturday, August 18 with a grand opening ceremony at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.
When is the opening ceremony and how to watch it live
The ceremony will start at 7 pm local time, 5:30 pm IST and 1 pm BST.
Sony Ten 2 and Sony ESPN will provide live television coverage of the event in India. The live stream will be available on Sony Liv.
The upcoming edition will see the Games be held at two different cities for the first time in its history as Jakarta and Palembang are hosting the multi-sport spectacle.
More than 10,500 athletes are expected to take part in the Games, which runs between August 18 and September 2.
Indonesia seems to be leaving no stone unturned to put on a spectacular show and show the world it is "capable of hosting an international event" successfully.
Celebrated Indonesian singer Anggun will lead the ceremony show. She will be joined by the likes of Raisa, Tulus, Edo Kondologit, Putri Ayu, Fatin, GAC, Kamasean and Via Vallen.
The ceremony stage at the GBK Stadium is going to be one of the major highlights as it features a mountain and a mini waterfall along with Indonesian flora.
Dance shows, choreographed by Denny Malik and Eko Supriyanto, will be performed on the grand stage.
The Parade of Nations will be another major highlight of the ceremony. Commonwealth Games gold medalist Neeraj Chopra will be India's flag bearer for the tonight's ceremony.
Opening ceremony Schedule
- The ceremony begins at 7 pm local time, 5:30 pm IST
- Parade of Athletes at 7:45 pm local time and 6:15 pm IST
- Protocol at 8:30 pm local time and 7 pm IST.
- Ceremony show at 8:45 pm local time and 7:15 pm IST
