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

NAGOYA, Japan — The organizers of the Asian Games expressed disappointment on Saturday regarding the low ticket sales, as large portions of empty seats were observed at the primary stadium and other venues across Japan. The 100-meter sprints, a key event in any Games, witnessed a relatively sparse attendance at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which was designed for 30,000 spectators.

On Friday night, the stadium was reportedly only about a quarter full for the prestigious blue-ribbon races. Even the potential for a women's pole vault gold for Japanese athlete Misaki Morota failed to attract substantial crowds at the onset of the weekend. The Aichi-Nagoya Games revealed that ticket sales for eight sports, including football, remained under 60 percent complete, with a comparable amount of tickets still unsold for the closing ceremony in eight days.

Satoshi Murate, secretary-general of the Games organizing committee, acknowledged that the situation was not satisfactory and vowed to continue efforts to fill stadiums, sell more tickets, and ensure attendees actually attend. He noted that more than 90 percent of tickets had already been sold for the opening ceremony a week prior, but attributed the current low turnout to no-shows.