Japan yet to catch Asian Games fever as Nagoya welcomes athletes
NAGOYA: Five years after the Tokyo Olympics unfolded to empty stadiums, the Asian Games offer Japan another chance to throw open the gates to fans and enjoy a major multi-sport event with a proper atmosphere. But a day before Saturday’s opening ceremony in Nagoya, the mood was decidedly low-key among some locals. “I have no real idea about these Games,” university student Hinata Koda told Reuters…
Nagoya welcomes athletes for the Asian Games, five years after the largely empty Tokyo Olympics. Locals show little interest or awareness of the Games, with one university student admitting she has no idea about them. The event has already begun with soccer and basketball preliminaries, and athletes from over 11,000 participants across 45 delegations have arrived.
While there is signage and volunteers present, the Games seem to be a mystery to the general public. Tourists visiting Nagoya from other regions are surprised to learn the Games have started and express hope that Japanese athletes winning medals will generate more interest. Japan's last hosting of the Asian Games was in Hiroshima in 1994, and organizers hope the Aichi-Nagoya Games can bring back the communal sporting atmosphere denied to the country during the COVID-19-stricken Tokyo Olympics.
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