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Athlete Accommodation and Transport Chaos Hits Nagoya Asian Games
Athletes arriving for the Asian Games in Nagoya said some parts of their stay were badly organized.
Many people had to wait for hours before receiving a room.
Some waited in assembly areas with little food, while others slept on floors or leaned against walls.
Travel was also difficult because some hotels were far from training venues and buses arrived late.
One football team was even taken to the wrong sports stadium.
Some rooms were too small, had problems such as leaking sinks, or were assigned to more than one group.
Organizers said extra sports and participants created problems beyond their original plans.
However, some teams, including India’s women’s cricket team, said their accommodation was satisfactory.
Athletes and coaches reported long waits for room assignments, including delays exceeding six hours and, in one case, 10 hours.
Indian shooting staff faced late buses and journeys of up to two hours to ranges located 50–60 kilometers from hotels.
Teams reported inadequate food access, duplicate room assignments, mixed-gender allocations and cramped or damaged rooms.
South Korea’s football team was taken to the wrong venue, while Philippines athletes reportedly sought rooms through Airbnb.
Organizers blamed late additions to the program and a rise beyond the expected 15,000 participants, while promising backup accommodation.
- Who
- Athletes, coaches and officials from India, South Korea, the Philippines and other Asian Games delegations, along with the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 organizing committee.
- What
- Delegations reported delays in accommodation, difficult transportation, food shortages and room-allocation problems before the Asian Games.
- Where
- Nagoya, Japan, including the assembly area, hotels, training venues and the Costa Serena cruise ship.
- When
- During the athletes’ arrival and preparations for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, including the Wednesday when Indian shooting staff encountered accreditation and transport problems.
- Why
- Organizers said late additions to the Games program increased participation beyond the expected 15,000 athletes and officials, exceeding available manpower, budget and accommodation.
Athletes and Delegations
Organizers and Supporters
Accommodation readiness
Athletes and Delegations
Athletes and coaches described hours-long waits, duplicate or mixed-gender room assignments, cramped rooms and other problems, with some people seeking alternative lodging.
Organizers and Supporters
The organizing committee said late additions to the sports program sharply increased participant numbers and left it without enough manpower, budget or accommodation.
Transportation and venue access
Athletes and Delegations
Indian shooters reported late buses and journeys of up to two hours, while South Korea’s football team was taken to the wrong venue.
Organizers and Supporters
Organizers said they were coordinating adjustments and considering alternative arrangements, but did not provide a detailed response to each transport incident.
Overall accommodation experience
Athletes and Delegations
Several delegations described the conditions as unusually poor, including a South Korean basketball official who called them the worst he had experienced.
Organizers and Supporters
India’s women’s cricket coach said their accommodation was nice and that check-in was satisfactory, showing that experiences differed among teams.
Key facts
- Host city
- Nagoya, Japan
- Event
- Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games
- Expected participants
- About 15,000 athletes and officials
- Reported accommodation wait
- More than six hours for some coaches and staff; one athlete reported waiting 10 hours
- Shooting transport distance
- Hotels were reportedly 50–60 kilometers from the shooting range
- Temporary accommodation
- The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena was used instead of a traditional Games Village
- Organizers’ response
- Backup accommodations were being considered where problems could not be resolved
Quotes
A member of India’s shooting team
A member of India’s shooting contingent describing transport delays
“The hotels are about 50-60 kms away from the range. The bus could accommodate only 50 persons. The first bus came late, and the second bus too was late. It took us close to two hours to reach the range. It took less time on return. But such delays can be frustrating for shooters sometimes.”
indianexpress.com
“We did not have anything to eat except water and snacks from the airport. We got our rooms in the cruise ship post 11pm (local time). We were so tired that we did not realise we were sleeping inside a cruise ship.”
indianexpress.com
Hideaki Omura
President of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 organising committee and governor of Aichi Prefecture
“We had neither the manpower nor the budget to make the necessary arrangements for extra participants. The host city agreement specifies a delegation of 15,000 people. We have not set aside a budget for any more than that. There is simply nowhere for them to stay.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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