Nearly 400 Asian Games athletes evacuated as Japan floods continue
Dubai: The 2026 Asian Games are set to commence from tomorrow. While many athletes looked to prepare for the competition, a natural calamity has halted the preparations. The host Japan is facing severe floods across the nation, with Typhoon Dolphins expected to hit parts of the country. This has also affected hundreds of Asian Games athletes who were briefly evacuated from their accommodation…
Nearly 400 athletes competing in the 2026 Asian Games, set to begin on September 19th, were evacuated due to severe flooding in Japan. The nation is grappling with torrential rains as a result of Typhoon Dolphin. Nagoya, the host city for the games, experienced record rainfall, with over 104mm of rain falling in an hour on Tuesday. This caused municipal officials to issue an evacuation order for parts of the city and resulted in water leaking into some competition venues.
The athletes, who have been staying on a cruise ship, temporary wooden containers, and hotels, were temporarily relocated out of safety concerns. However, the evacuation order was lifted two hours later. Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa assured everyone that the Asian Games would proceed smoothly, and no athletes were harmed during the evacuation process. Despite the disruptions, the competition will host more than 17,000 athletes from Asia, surpassing the number of participants at the Olympics.
The games are facing significant weather-related challenges, with more wet weather forecasted in the coming days as the competition is only a week away. Participants will not have a dedicated athletes village, instead residing in various accommodations. Team India, preparing for their arrival, has been sleeping in shipping containers at their camps in Patiala and Bengaluru.
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