Athletes participating in the Asian Games evacuated due to heavy rain in Japan

Asian Games Participants Evacuated in Japan Due to Heavy Rain

Hundreds of athletes participating in the Asian Games were temporarily moved to a safe location ahead of some competitions scheduled to begin on September 10, after heavy rain damaged sports facilities in Nagoya. Reuters reported on this.

According to the source, the rainfall in the city on September 8 reached 104 millimeters in one hour. Following the heavy precipitation, a risk of flooding arose in some areas of the city, prompting local authorities to announce an evacuation.

According to officials, 400 athletes and team representatives staying in temporary accommodations in the Nagoya port area were briefly moved to higher ground. The evacuation order was lifted about two hours later, and the athletes were returned to their accommodations.

The heavy rain also affected the competition venues. Water leaks from the roofs of some sports complexes were reported. However, City Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa emphasized that no serious damage was caused to the facilities, and no situation that would prevent the competitions from being held on schedule was observed.

For reference, the official opening ceremony of the Asian Games will take place on September 19. Some competitions, however, will start earlier. In particular, basketball matches are scheduled to begin on September 10, and football matches on September 15. More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to participate in the Asian Games.