Japan organisers 'not satisfied' as empty seats blight Asian Games

Nagoya: Asian Games organisers expressed dissatisfaction on Saturday regarding empty seats at venues, including the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which reportedly had only about a quarter of its capacity filled during the 100m sprints. The Games organisers admitted that only less than 60% of tickets had been sold for eight sports, similar to the unsold tickets for the closing ceremony.

Secretary-General Satoshi Murate, in response to AFP, stated that the committee was not satisfied and aimed to fill stadiums, sell more tickets and ensure attendees showed up. Murate blamed no-shows for large sections of empty seats at some competitions, citing multiple reasons such as events with several matches and seats given away to stakeholders.

The committee also apologized for issues with accommodation and transport arrangements, with teams lodged in temporary huts, hotels and the cruise ship Costa Serena due to a shortage of rooms for 17,000 participants and delayed airport transport. Murate acknowledged the mistakes and assured that staff were working to prevent recurrence.