Asian Games 2026: Indian athletes land in Japan to a forgettable welcome

Nagoya, September 17 - Transport delays stranded athletes and officials at Aichi Sky Expo on the eve of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Xinhua reported. Many delegations waited hours for transfers to their accommodation due to a broken on-site system that couldn't locate the information for a large number of athletes, preventing them from boarding pre-arranged shuttle buses. The problem affected delegations from multiple countries and regions.

Chinese delegation members, including several national teams, arrived around 12:15 pm local time but couldn't board shuttles due to missing information in the system. India's rowing team waited over four hours for transport after landing at 10 am. China’s gymnastics team, where only two out of 21 members were in the system, was completely stranded.

Exhausted athletes trained during the wait, using yoga mats laid out throughout the venue. A Chinese official said there was no clear departure time, and even staff and volunteers had no answers.

Kazakhstan's shooting team waited more than two hours without explanation. A volunteer blamed poor coordination between departments, stating that teams could arrange private transport at their own cost. The badminton team tried public airport buses but could only get tickets for some athletes, leaving others behind. Staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Nagoya arranged chartered vehicles for the team, and they finally left at 4:30 pm.

Other Chinese teams faced delays, with some members boarding official buses around 5 pm, while the gymnastics team didn't leave until 6 pm – nearly six hours after arrival.

The situation was far worse for some delegations, with Sri Lanka's delegation experiencing a total travel and waiting time of 24 hours since leaving home. Conditions remained basic, with only drinking water provided and no food available. A fatigued athlete commented, "These off-field troubles are harder to endure than the competitions themselves." The logistical breakdown before the Games raised concerns about the host's ability to run the event smoothly.