Indian athletes left stranded for more than 14 hours at Nagoya airport ahead of Asian Games 2026
Indian athletes were left at Nagoya airport for over 14 hours on Wednesday before the start of the Asian Games 2026 after accommodation arrangements failed to materialise. The delay affected Indian participants preparing to join the Aichi‑Nagoya Games that open on September 19.
Delegations from India, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Thailand experienced long waits to receive rooms after arriving in Nagoya, with several athletes unable to access cabins on a cruise ship used for housing. India’s MMA fighter Varun Sanyal confirmed the delay on X, writing, "I can confirm this is true… I’m currently on 7 hours and counting." During the wait at the airport officials provided drinking water to the athletes.
Reports said some rooms previously earmarked for Indian athletes and officials were cancelled without prior notice, and a system failure affecting athlete information prevented some competitors from boarding their designated shuttles. Those errors forced organisers to arrange alternative transfers for groups of athletes, prolonging the airport hold-ups.
The Indian shooting team has also reported disruptions: shooters are being housed across multiple hotels and must assemble at one hotel for breakfast before travelling to a training venue more than two hours away. Shooting events are scheduled to begin on September 20, and the contingent has raised the accommodation and travel concerns with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier expressed worries about tournament accommodation for the Indian cricket teams. Separately, Singapore’s basketball officials complained about shipping container‑style rooms with beds too small for players, and Thailand’s sepak takraw squad was left without assigned rooms after arriving on September 16.
Thailand’s sepak takraw players found their accommodation details missing from the system and had no rooms assigned aboard the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which is being used to house athletes; the team waited on the ship’s lobby floor until arrangements were sorted. Other contingents similarly experienced delays in boarding or room allocation as organisers worked to resolve the issues.
The Asian Games take place in Aichi‑Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, and India has named a 508‑member contingent for the tournament; the pre-Games accommodation failures and system problems left members of that delegation stranded at Nagoya airport for more than 14 hours.
