Flag-hoisting at Nagoya Asian Games delayed; India among five contingents affected
India was among five national delegations left waiting after the Asian Games flag-hoisting ceremony at Garden Pier in Nagoya was delayed and then abruptly halted on Friday. Organisers blamed unspecified trouble involving one of the teams.
Yemen, North Korea, Palestine, India and Timor-Leste had been scheduled to take part in the ceremony at Garden Pier, and India’s four deputy chefs de mission — A Sharath Kamal, Lijo David Thottan, Alaknanda Ashok and Anjali Bhagwat — were at the venue. “We are sorry for the delay. There is some trouble with a team. We will try to restore in another 15 minutes,” the local organisers said.
The ceremony eventually began after a 20-minute delay but was stopped again shortly afterwards; the organisers did not provide further details about the interruption. Sharath Kamal and Anjali Bhagwat had started toward the dais before returning to the waiting area when proceedings were halted a second time.
Friday’s disruption added to a series of organisational concerns that have emerged in Nagoya ahead of the official opening on Saturday. Questions have been raised about accommodation, transportation and the decision to house athletes across multiple locations instead of building a conventional Games Village.
Organisers arranged lodging in container-style facilities, hotels and the Costa Serena cruise ship as part of a cost-cutting approach. Delays in room allocation and difficulties reaching training venues have left some athletes and officials frustrated.
Indian mixed martial arts athlete Varun Sanyal highlighted accommodation concerns, India’s Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav acknowledged there had been some mismanagement around the arrangements, and badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy said members of the Indian contingent had waited several hours for a bus on one occasion.
The Asian Games officially open on September 19, with competitions in several disciplines already underway, and organisers will now face increased scrutiny to ensure the logistical problems do not continue to overshadow the sporting action.
