NAGOYA—How big are the Asian Games?
By the numbers: A look at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan
The Asian Games are often identified as the second most important multisports event after the Summer Olympic Games. They date from the first edition in 1951 in New Delhi, India, and were last held in...
Asian Games in Japan Leave Questions of Legacy – Adnkronos English
Nagoya, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–The first Summer Asian Games held in Japan in over three decades left behind questions of its legacy. The 16 days of sport mainly held in the central prefecture of Aichi through Sunday featured venues full of cheering crowds and scenes of excitement shared by a wide range of people, a sharp contrast to the spectatorless Tokyo Olympics in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Games brought together over 15,000 members of delegations from 45 countries and regions. Japan rewrote its record high for both total medal tally and gold medal count for the quadrennial sporting tournament, sweeping up 269 medals, including 83 golds. Japan left behind valuable memories for people in the country. Spectators witnessed high-level performances by athletes, and were introduced to Asia’s vast array of cultures. People also had a chance to see athletes at public events to celebrate the medalists. The 2021 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo had 1,423.8 billion yen in costs. The budget for the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games totaled 298 billion yen, despite the number of sports and participating athletes being larger than those of the worldwide sporting festival. The latest Asian Games aimed to create a sustainable event that was simple yet smoothly operated. The organizing committee decided not to newly build an athletes’ village, while opting to host individual sporting events at existing venues in five Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo. The massive sporting event, however, was not without its hiccups, especially in terms of operations. The event was hosted without the involvement of a major advertising agency taking charge of daily operations, which was unusual for a major international tournament in Japan. Without the know-how of such a company, many staff members on the organizer’s side were inexperienced. “There were operational difficulties from the very start,” a senior official of the organizing committee said. An event planning company tasked with venue operations failed to submit venue diagrams in time, according to a person familiar with the matter. “There was a lack of information sharing,” the person said. The person said that preparations dragged on until just before the opening ceremony, due to expense calculations and venue-related planning being delayed. Issues also plagued the tournament after competitions kicked off. North Korea’s national anthem was played instead of South Korea’s anthem at a men’s hockey match against Bangladesh on Sept. 18, while a bus did not arrive to take the South Korean men’s basketball team to a practice session before the final against Japan on Sept. 20. The organizing committee spent a busy period apologizing and explaining these blunders. While the committee had touted strong ticket sales, many spectator seats were empty at some venues. The committee also learned valuable lessons from its delayed responses to inaccurate posts being spread on social media. The committee was quick to act on some issues. An official of the committee said that it had provided round-the-clock support to tackle reports of water leaks, clogged drain and other issues by people staying at container houses serving as accommodation for athletes. On transportation issues, the committee switched to a booking system that did not accept late bus reservations after a predetermined deadline. Junichi Kawai, commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency who has plenty of experience competing at international tournaments as a six-time Paralympian with 21 Paralympic medals in swimming under his belt, said, “We always have issues” at any big tournament. “We’ve resolved them.” The Japanese government plans to put together the country’s accumulated know-how on running a massive sporting tournament, and pass such lessons on to future generations. Japan’s basic law on sports, revised last year, stipulates that efforts securing the transparency of tournament operations and nurturing personnel are state-led measures. As part of the effort, the Asian Games organizing committee needs to leave behind reports and people with related knowledge and experience. In terms of revenues, the tournament’s sponsorship income reached 27 billion yen, exceeding the organizing committee’s goal. The legacy of the latest Asian Games is the method of cutting down on expenses through utilizing container hotels and cruise ships in place of a dedicated athletes’ village, as well as ways to deal with challenges involving the transportation of athletes. Such a legacy will be very important given that Japan may host another massive sporting tournament, including possibly another Olympic Games, in the future. A committee was launched in September to submit a bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Asian Games organizers fear big disruptions from typhoon | The Asahi Shimbun Asia & Japan Watch
NAGOYA—Organizers of the Asian Games, the largest sports event on the continent, are preparing to evacuate athletes and rearrange competition schedules if Typhoon No. 25 threatens to hit the Nagoya area.
Asian Games open with more athletes, unfamiliar sports
Welcome to the Asian Games, which feature at least 11,000 athletes in 2026. The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris had about 10,700.
ASIAN GAMES/ Organizers fend off bed-size complaints in Nagoya | The Asahi Shimbun Asia & Japan Watch
NAGOYA--It was never going to be a bed of roses when container-style blocks were used to house athletes, but Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organizers said using ottomans as extensions could have brought more comfort to taller competitors.
Japan Olympic chief says 'lot more' athletes at Games than expected
Japan's Olympic chief admitted Saturday that "a lot more" athletes and officials came to the Asian Games than the host nation had expected, leading...
Asian Games: Common area, fitness facilities readied for athletes
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Athletes at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will have access to an outdoor common area for events and socializing, as well as several f
Asian Games chief defends 'functional' rooms after backlash
NAGOYA: Accommodation for Asian Games athletes in Japan is "functional" and efforts are being made to deal with numerous complaints from disgruntled teams, a chief organiser told AFP.More than 17,000 competitors and officials are expected at the continent's biggest sporting spectacular, which opens on Saturda
Asian Games return to Japan after 32 years amid soaring costs, struggle for relevance
NAGOYA -- Japan will host the Asian Games for the first time in 32 years when the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games open Sept. 19. Athletes from 45 countries a
Japan under pressure amid accommodation woes as Asian Games kick off
It’s the world's biggest sporting event, held every four years – the 20th edition of Asian games is starting in Japan. Organisers came under pressure even before competition began… as thousands more…
Asian Games organizers defend cramped accommodation | The Asahi Shimbun Asia & Japan Watch
NAGOYA―Local organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games again defended the athletes’ accommodation on Thursday after local residents added their voices to concerns about the shipping-container style huts.
Asian Games open in Nagoya with glitzy ceremony after troubled buildup
Organizers hope the Asian Games opening ceremony will help resolve a rocky buildup filled with complaints from athletes and officials involving accommodation and transport
Asian Games: Common area, fitness facilities readied for athletes
Athletes at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will have access to an outdoor common area for events and socializing, as well as several fitness facilities at their lodging base, which was opened to the media on Wednesday.
Asian Games: Governing body urged to address participant surge: sources
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- As the number of athletes and officials expected to take part in the upcoming Asian Games is likely to exceed initial projections by
Asian Games in Japan plagued by troubles | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
The organizers of the 2026 Asian Games currently underway in Japan have unveiled container houses for athletes, amid calls from some overseas participants for improvements to those facilities.
Japan emperor declares Asian Games open following turbulent build-up
The 20th Asian Games were declared open by Japan's emperor on Saturday following a troubled build-up to the multi-sport spectacular that has more athletes than the Olympics.
