Accommodation and transport complaints mar Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as opening nears

Organisers, athletes and delegation officials at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Nagoya on Thursday faced mounting complaints about accommodation and logistics as the Games, starting on Saturday, neared. The coverage was published on September 17, 2026.

For years Japan has been held up for meticulous planning, but concerns about the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games grew from quiet unease into widespread reservations about the city and organisers’ preparedness for an event whose magnitude is larger than the Olympics. Delegates from various National Olympic associations expressed private worries about conditions and facilities for athletes and officials despite Japan’s record of staging major events such as the Tokyo Olympics during the Covid aftermath.

The first group of Indian athletes, including rowers, reported waiting without accommodation for almost 12 hours after arriving in the city, and officials encountered similar delays. A quick check with other delegations indicated athletes from several countries experienced comparable problems, and many of those initially affected eventually found different hotels.

Accommodation arrangements that have drawn criticism include the cruise ship Costa Serena and modified shipping containers promoted by organisers as a sustainability measure; critics cited poor quality and insufficient quantity. Videos circulating of the containers prompted complaints that the units more closely resembled detention centres than athlete residences.

South Korea’s Byun Jun-hyung, a member of the basketball team, posted footage showing a leaking sink and wet floor and pleaded "Please help me." An image of Indian shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor showed him in his allotted container with space and beds clearly too small for his size.

There were separate logistical disruptions: the Korea and Qatar football teams were bussed to the baseball stadium on Tuesday, and the Chinese badminton team reportedly had to rely on local Chinese to travel from the airport. Many Indian athletes who did secure rooms arrived to closed shutters and a notice on Thursday morning saying breakfast was not included in their bookings.

Indian contingent’s Chef de Mission (CDM) Sahdev Yadav said: "The organisers have washed their hands of everything and said that there is no accommodation and that we need to manage things ourselves. We have got our rowers and other athletes booked into different hotels. There is hardly any support or facility at the airport. "I am staying in a small container but imagine the plight of athletes who are taller and muscular. We have been raising the issues every day at the CDM meetings and will do it again tomorrow (Friday)."

"There have been cases where coaches, team officials, and athletes have been assigned the same room. There are also situations where room assignments were made purely based on the numbers. It creates challenging situations such as men and women being assigned together," Japan’s deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori told a news conference on Thursday. Volunteers have been described as helpful but too few, and organisers acknowledged there was little visible promotion of the Games in the city, with many locals reportedly unaware the event was due to begin in a day.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are due to start on Saturday, leaving organisers with outstanding accommodation and transport issues to resolve before the opening.