Asian Games in Nagoya end amid record-breaking performances and organisational problems
The Asian Games in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture, Japan, closed on Sunday, October 4, 2026, after a fortnight of record performances and logistical controversies. More than 17,000 athletes and officials took part in the 20th edition of the Games, which opened on September 19.
Thirteen-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi won three gold medals in Games-record times, taking the 200m butterfly and the 200m and 400m individual medleys and being named a Games MVP; she said, "I don’t think I am what people describe as a prodigy." Seventeen-year-old Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi set a new world record in the men’s 200m breaststroke, while 20-year-old Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson completed a 100m-200m double and was named men’s MVP. The closing ceremony, held on a dry evening, included a formal handover of hosting duties to Doha 2030 and featured OCA president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani speaking during the event.
Olympic Council of Asia director general Husain Al-Musallam defended the Games’ results by pointing to what he called "numbers are facts," noting that 50 world records were broken at the Games after they opened on September 19. Al-Musallam also warned of the importance of basic logistics, saying, "The athletes cannot perform if they don’t sleep good, the athletes cannot perform if they don’t have good transportation."
Organisers abandoned a traditional athletes’ village to reduce costs, instead housing participants in wooden temporary units, on the cruise ship Costa Serena and in hotels, a scheme organisers described as a template for future multi-sports events. That approach provoked complaints that the units were too cramped, beds were too short and there were not enough beds for everyone; a Thai Olympic official told AFP it was "like musical chairs" trying to get somewhere to sleep. The Games were identified in reports as the 20th edition of an event first contested in 1951.
Logistical errors persisted throughout the competition, including organisers playing North Korea’s national anthem for the South Korean hockey team, buses that failed to arrive on schedule or at all, and two teams being sent to the wrong venue and delaying a volleyball match. Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, said, "If I were to give them a grade, it would be an F." The opening ceremony was staged in front of thousands of empty seats, and the women’s football semi-final between Japan and South Korea drew 998 spectators in a 50,000-seat stadium.
Japanese Olympic Committee president Seiko Hashimoto conceded that "there were many problems," and said bad weather had discouraged some spectators while also noting that some sports drew strong crowds. Around 30,000 people attended the men’s football final in which South Korea beat Japan 1-0 to win gold, an occasion marred when the South Korean flag failed to rise during the victory ceremony.
Sporting highlights included a high-profile cricket final won by India over Pakistan, North Korean weightlifter Ri Song Gum—listed at 140cm (4ft 7in)—setting three new world marks in a single day to win gold, and 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara taking gold in an eSports event to become the youngest Games champion in history. Hosts Japan finished with 83 gold medals, second behind China, which won 169.
Several sports made their Asian Games debut in Nagoya, including padel, mixed martial arts and virtual taekwondo. The Games concluded with the formal transfer of hosting responsibilities to Doha 2030, marking the next confirmed stage in the event’s succession of hosts.