Asian Games chaos raises questions over Japan’s event preparations

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were hit by accommodation shortages, transport mistakes and diplomatic mishaps, raising questions about Japan’s preparations for future international sporting events.

Organisers had planned rooms for 15,000 delegation members, but the number grew by 2,000 after additional sports were added. With Nagoya’s capacity stretched, organisers used an Italian cruise ship with 1,500 cabins and container-style accommodation. Some participants had complained about cramped rooms before competition began.

Other incidents followed: athletes were taken to the wrong venues, North Korea’s anthem was played for South Korea’s men’s hockey team, and the South Korean flag was not raised properly at the men’s football medal ceremony. Taiwan’s sports minister was temporarily barred from a flag-raising event. Organisers also had to clarify that free tickets offered to volunteers for the closing ceremony had not been approved.

Takaaki Omi, deputy director general of the Games, said the event’s scale had presented a major challenge and caused significant inconvenience for some delegations. He said organisers listened to athletes’ feedback and made improvements during the Games. The organising committee also issued a formal apology to South Korea over a series of mishaps affecting its delegation.

Questions have also been raised about GL Events, the company responsible for venue operations. Its Japanese subsidiary won a 63bn-yen (£306m; $405m) contract. The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper alleged the company cut corners on hiring and that recruited staff were not properly trained. Omi said GL Events had experience with international events, including the Paris Olympics, and that the necessary competition environment was in place. The company did not respond to the BBC’s requests for comment.

Osaka University professor Kozo Tomiyama said it was too simplistic to conclude that GL Events lacked experience. He pointed instead to the broad scope of the company’s responsibilities and said the contract’s assessment criteria and subsequent oversight should be examined. He warned that damage to international confidence could affect Japan’s ability to attract future competitions.

The Games also produced 54 world records in swimming, weightlifting and shooting. Olympic Council of Asia director general Husain al-Musallam cited them as evidence that athletes had a good environment in which to compete.

Problems continued at the Para Games, where the wrong national anthems were played at three events. Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, also a deputy head of the organising committee, called the errors unacceptable and apologised.