What makes Asiad host Nagoya special? A city of cars, football, and sporting legacy

NAGOYA: Best known as the home of one of the world’s biggest automobile manufacturers, Nagoya is a blend of industrial might, history and culture. What has largely flown under the radar, however, is the city’s rich sporting tradition, which goes beyond sumo wrestling, kendo or judo.As the Asian Games officially get under way here on Saturday, the Chunichi Dragons, formerly the Nagoya Baseball Club, are celebrating 90 years. Three years after the Dragons were formed, the Nagoya Grampus Eight football club was born.Now known as Nagoya Grampus, the club attracted international attention in the 1990s when it signed England great Gary Lineker and, later, Serbian star Dragan Stojkovic.