On a Saturday evening in Nagoya, Japan's third-largest city, the 2026 Asian Games opened with ceremony and spectacle, gathering athletes from across a continent beneath a single cauldron's flame. The moment was hard-won — months of logistical strain, budget pressures, and coordination difficulties had cast doubt on the city's readiness. Yet the threshold was crossed, as it so often is in human endeavors: not without struggle, but forward nonetheless. What remains to be seen is whether the opening's polished surface reflects a deeper organizational resolve, or merely defers its reckoning to the