On October 3, a day before the closing of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), acknowledged operational difficulties that occurred during the event.
Hashimoto held a press conference at the main press center located at Port Messe Nagoya, where she expressed her apologies for the issues that arose during the competition, stating, "I am sorry for the concerns caused to the athletes."
The Asian Games faced criticism even before the opening ceremony due to the decision by the organizing committee not to build a separate official athlete village, citing cost-cutting measures. Instead, athletes were accommodated in various hotels, wooden containers, and a cruise ship docked at Nagoya Port.
However, the container accommodations were criticized for their small rooms and beds, leading to complaints from taller athletes. Air conditioning was limited to a single unit, and there were reports of leaks.
The cruise ship also faced challenges, with cramped quarters and insufficient amenities making it difficult for athletes to manage their conditions. Additionally, logistical issues arose when the Thai Sepak Takraw team was unable to access their assigned rooms and had to sleep on the lobby floor.
Transportation and scheduling issues were recurrent. The South Korean U-23 football team experienced a 30-minute delay in kickoff when their shuttle bus mistakenly headed to a baseball stadium instead of the football venue. The South Korean men's basketball and volleyball teams also faced transportation problems that prevented them from completing their training before their matches.
In badminton, the individual events were compressed into five days, shorter than usual, forcing world number one An Se-young to play two matches in one day. Some athletes waited until after midnight to finish their competitions, raising concerns about the demanding schedule.
Hashimoto cited the unexpectedly high number of participants as a contributing factor to the issues. The organizing committee had anticipated around 15,000 participants before the event, but the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) reported over 17,000 attendees.
"The number of participants was much higher than we expected," Hashimoto said. "Accommodating such a large number of people is truly challenging, and it may have caused some issues for the athletes."
She also noted that adverse weather, including several days of rain and the threat of typhoons, complicated operations during the event.
Regarding transportation issues, Hashimoto explained, "Problems arose during transportation because the accommodations were spread across multiple locations. No matter how much we simulate, some issues are bound to occur."
While apologizing, Hashimoto defended the operation of the athlete village, which involved renting a large Italian cruise ship for approximately 39 billion won to house 4,000 athletes. She emphasized, "There were many criticisms, but there were also many positive comments such as 'the food on the cruise athlete village was really good' and 'we were well taken care of.'"
Hashimoto concluded that the event provided Japan with "great lessons" and stated, "We will review whether our preemptive measures were adequate and address any shortcomings. We will actively reflect on this for future events."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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