THE Asian Games torch arrived in the host city of Incheon on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony that will formally inaugurate the two-week competition featuring almost 10,000 athletes.

    The torch will be stored overnight in the port city west of Seoul before being carried on the final stages of its 6,000-kilometer journey around South Korea set to culminate in Friday night’s opening ceremony featuring “Gangnam Style” singer PSY and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

    Athletes from the Far East to the Middle East are competing in 42 sports at the Asian Games, a key testing ground for many of them ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

    Sexual harassment cases, however, tainted the buildup after an Iranian official was kicked out for verbally harassing a volunteer and a Palestinian soccer player was accused of groping a woman in the athletes village. Police said the Iranian official had admitted touching the volunteer but did not consider his actions illegal.

    Police also charged a Palestinian soccer player with sexual harassment following a complaint from a female staff member at the athletes village. (SD-Agencies)