No, Léon Marchand will not participate in the Asian gamesHowever, the Frenchman, a four-time Olympic champion at Paris 2024, will indeed be in Japan this week for the start of the competition. The Olympic Council of Asia has confirmed the presence of the swimmer from Toulouse in Nagoya. His program notably includes a swimming session with schoolchildrenOn Friday, at the Higashi Sports Centre, he will spend about thirty minutes with them, which will be more than enough to put stars in the eyes of his audience.
OCA also announced the arrival of the legendary FC Barcelona defender Carles Puyol to promote teqball, which is on the program for the Asian Games for the first time. Puyol will arrive in Nagoya on Saturday morning and attend the opening ceremony in the evening at the Mizuho Park stadiumIn the days that follow, he will also visit the athletes' village, and will also stop by a local school to spend time with students, and He will present the medals. of the teqball tournament on Sunday. The OCA specifies that he will travel to Tokyo on Monday with IOC President Kirsty Coventry and that he will attend the swimming finals at the capital's Aquatics Centre.
