Flag hoisting at Asian Games in Nagoya delayed and disrupted; India completes ceremony

India and four other nations completed a delayed and disrupted flag-hoisting ceremony at Nagoya’s Garden Pier on Friday, September 18, 2026, as part of the official welcome for the 20th Asian Games after organisers resolved an unspecified "trouble." The disruption and delay prompted criticism of the event’s logistics in Nagoya.

India’s chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav attended the ceremony alongside four deputy chef-de-missions — A. Sharath Kamal, Lijo David Thottan, Alaknanda Ashok and Anjali Bhagwat — and organisers issued an apologetic notice during the interruptions. "We are sorry for the delay. There is some trouble with a team. We will try to restore in another 15 minutes," read a statement from the local organisers, who have faced heavy criticism for logistical chaos.

The ceremony, which involved Yemen, North Korea, Palestine, India and Timor-Leste, initially got under way after a 20-minute delay but was abruptly halted with no immediate detailed explanation from organisers. Delegation officials said the pause extended beyond an hour before proceedings resumed.

After the event, organisers attributed the interruption to poor coordination and issued a follow-up statement saying: "The communication between the Olympic Council of Asia Executive Board and Organising Committee was not well, that's why this happened." The organisers did not provide further detail on the specific cause of the miscommunication.

At the moment the proceedings were stopped, A. Sharath Kamal and Anjali Bhagwat had begun to move toward the dais but returned to the waiting area when a fresh delay was announced. India's Sports Minister Mansukha Mandaviya and Indian Olympic Association President P.T. Usha also attended briefly because the IOA office for the Games is located nearby; both left before the ceremony concluded.

Sahdev Yadav described the scene to PTI: "I have not seen such a scene before." After a delay of over one hour the ceremony resumed, with India represented at the hoisting by former shooter Bhagwat and former sprinter Thottan, amid wider complaints from athletes about delayed and cramped lodging facilities.

Organisers have provided accommodation in container-style huts, a docked cruise ship and local hotels instead of a traditional Games village to reduce costs. The flag-hoisting events are the official welcome for travelling contingents at multi-sport events and are held a day before the official Games opening.