Asian Games officials apologized for organizational problems

Asian Games organizers apologized for organizational shortcomings

The organizers of the Asian Games ongoing in Japan apologized for the transport and accommodation issues that arose during the competition. They stated that the number of participants was much higher than expected, which caused difficulties in service delivery.

The number of athletes and officials participating in the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games reached 17,000. This is nearly 2,000 more than the organizers had initially calculated. The sharp increase in the number of participants put pressure on the athlete accommodation and transport systems. As a result, some teams complained about cramped rooms, small beds, and transport delays.

Satoshi Murate, the Secretary General of the competition's organizing committee, admitted that mistakes were made in the process of accommodating and transporting athletes due to various reasons.

"Regardless of what caused the mistakes, it is our responsibility to organize the services properly. I apologize for this," Murate said.

According to him, the organizers are identifying the causes of the problems and working to prevent them from recurring. Murate also noted that transport and accommodation conditions have significantly improved compared to the initial days.

The organizers plan to further improve the quality of services in the second half of the competition. According to Murate, the main goal is to create the necessary conditions for athletes to participate in the competitions at full strength.

Mongolian basketball players also suffered from transport-related issues. The training session was canceled because the team bus did not arrive on time for practice. Javier Garcia Alvarez, the head coach of the Mongolian women's national team, said this situation caused great inconvenience for the team.

Meanwhile, Philippine squash player Yvonne Alyssa Dalida had to wait a long time to check into her room on the cruise ship. Despite this, she described the experience of using a ship as accommodation for athletes as unique.