The 17th Incheon Asian Games kicked off for a 16-day run with a grand opening ceremony that began Friday evening.
 
Under the slogan “Diversity Shines Here,” this year’s event is the biggest ever Asian Games with 15-thousand athletes and delegates from all 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) participating. 
 
During the opening ceremony, each country's team will enter the stadium in the order of how its official name is spelled in the Korean alphabet Hanguel. Nepal and East Timor will enter the stadium first, while North Korea will be the 30th country to enter among the 45 teams. As the host nation, South Korea will be the last country to enter the stadium.
 
China is aiming to rank first for the ninth consecutive time in the latest Asian Games in which participating countries will vie for 439 gold medals in 36 sports events. South Korea is aiming to rank second in the overall medal tally for the fifth consecutive time, with the goal of securing more than 90 gold medals.