Chinese divers extend their record streak.. and a new apology

Host Japan occupies a distant second place with 49 gold medals, ahead of South Korea with 24 golds.

Chen Yiwen and her compatriot Lian Junjie won gold in the final two diving events, as China completely swept the competition for the 14th consecutive time.

China has won all gold medals in diving since its first participation in the Asian Games 52 years ago.

Chen, a two-time Olympic champion in Paris 2024, said, "Girls are just as capable as boys. We are pushing ourselves to execute more difficult dives as well," adding, "Ever since we start the competition, we all try to achieve accomplishments and increase the degree of difficulty."

In tennis, Philippine star Alexandra Eala reached the semi-finals with relative ease, amid cheers from fans who traveled from afar to support their champion.

The world number 18 and the heavy favorite for the women's singles gold had to exert effort initially before defeating England-born Taiwanese Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0 in her second match in Nagoya.

The gold medalist qualifies for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Eala said, "Representing my country and participating in such games, the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, and hopefully also the Olympics, are dear to me and form a huge part of my dreams."

She will next play against China's Wang Xiyu, ranked 85th in the world.

New apology

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic champion who found herself at the center of a major gender identity controversy during Paris 2024, guaranteed herself at least a silver medal.

Lin defeated Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova 5-0 in the 57 kg category to reach the final and move within one win of capturing a second Asian Games gold medal.

The 30-year-old boxer thanked the medical staff after the bout for treating the cut she suffered on her nose during the quarter-finals.

In football, defending champions South Korea and Japan will face off for the men's gold medal after the former snatched a 2-1 winning goal against China in the 82nd minute, while the latter needed a goal two minutes before regular time to equalize 1-1 against Uzbekistan, on their way to reaching a marathon penalty shootout after extra time, which they ultimately clinched 9-8.

The Mayor of Nagoya apologized to athletes for the organizational errors that troubled them during these games following a series of complaints.

The continent's largest sporting event was marred by several problems, including a shortage of beds and transportation issues.

More than 17,000 athletes and officials are participating in the tournament, a number that exceeds those participating in the Olympic Games, while countries accused local organizers of mismanagement.

Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who also serves as acting president of the local organizing committee, said, "We must offer our apologies to the athletes and others who were affected by these errors," adding, "We must sincerely review the mishandling that occurred."

He continued, "There were human errors and a lack of communication with national teams. We are dealing with the situation based on what happened."

Unlike previous editions, there is no athletes' village in an effort to save money, as participants are staying in temporary container-style housing units, hotels, and the cruise ship "Costa Serena".

Early in the Games, local organizers apologized to South Korea after mistakenly playing North Korea's national anthem.

Problems also arose regarding athletes' buses, as they did not operate on schedule, failed to arrive at all, or headed to incorrect sports facilities.