AA Edit | Athletes All At Sea In Japan’s Asiad

With a view to cutting costs/ cots, they decided to put players up in containers and a cruise ship, which were termed “worst ever” by officials of the South Korean contingent and deemed “a little tighter” by none other than International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry

Update: 2026-09-21 19:02 GMT

That sinking feeling and sea sickness spilled onto the field of play and claimed its first victim. India’s Mixed Martial Arts fighter Varun Sanyal was forced to withdraw from the Games without competing after exhaustion and dehydration caused him to pass out during a sauna session at his cruise ship accommodation. — DC Image

Japan is known for all things high-tech — automobiles, electronics, management and their clockwork precision — over the years. This time though, the watch seems to have slipped a bit at the 20th Asian Games currently on Aichi-Nagoya.

From accommodation for participating athletes and officials to mixing up of national anthems (especially those of arch-rivals North and South Korea) to logistics, the issues have been more than a handful. And the organisers can’t seem to get a grip while grappling with them.

With a view to cutting costs/ cots, they decided to put players up in containers and a cruise ship, which were termed “worst ever” by officials of the South Korean contingent and deemed “a little tighter” by none other than International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry.

Athletes, more so the basketballers have been complaining of beds being short at the temporary accommodation, which also witnessed leaking sinks and soaked floors. Then there is a cruise ship docked in Nagoya, on which around 4,000 athletes and officials are housed. It’s reportedly 300 metres long, weighs over one lakh tonnes and has 1,500 cabins. Many of these athletes feel they have been thrown into the sea.

Japan surely could’ve done better. These are the third Asian Games it is organising — after Tokyo (1958) and Hiroshima (1994). Japan has also hosted five Olympic Games — three summer, including one during the Covid years, and two winter editions — so far. Apart from these big ticket events, the country co-hosted the 2002 Football World Cup alongside South Korea, which was a smashing success.

Three days into the fortnight-long Asiad, Japan still has time to summon the spirit and expertise of the Games gone by, infuse fresh energy into Nagoya and win itself a medal on the organisational front.