{
  "id": 8412704,
  "title": "Asian Olympic chief urges politicians to stay out of sport at Nagoya Games",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/asian-olympic-chief-urges-politicians-to-stay-out-of-sport-at-nagoya",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T07:30:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/09/19/asian-olympic-chief-urges-politicians-to-stay-out-of-sport-at-nagoya-games"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Nagoya, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani has called for politicians to stay out of sports during the Asian Games, following a diplomatic incident involving a Taiwan government official. The Games, which feature a record 43 sports and 469 medal events, have been marred by organizational problems, including transport and accommodation issues for athletes. Taiwan's sport minister, Lee Yang, was initially blocked from attending a flag-raising ceremony at the Games by the Taiwan delegation as a protest, but was eventually allowed entry. The incident sparked a standoff, with the Taiwan cabinet complaining about Lee's \"unreasonable obstruction.\" OCA director general Husain Al-Musallam emphasized that the flag-raising ceremony was meant for the participants, not the delegations. Despite complaints from national team delegations, OCA defended the size and low cost of the programme, which includes the debut of virtual taekwondo while retaining breaking (breakdancing) and esports.",
  "summary": "Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani made the remark following a diplomatic incident involving a Taiwan government official at the Asian Games.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Asian Games medal near impossible for men's and women's badminton teams",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/asian-games-medal-near-impossible-for-mens-and-womens-badminton-teams",
        "published": "2026-09-19T03:51:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KBS World Radio",
        "title": "20th Asian Games Set to Kick Off in Japan for 16-Day Run",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/20th-asian-games-set-to-kick-off-in-japan-for-16-day-run",
        "published": "2026-09-19T03:56:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Games-Kit blunder forces India to change Asian Games flagbearer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/games-kit-blunder-forces-india-to-change-asian-games-flagbearer",
        "published": "2026-09-19T04:01:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Badminton Asian Games draw: India men, women potentially face Japan in QF",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/badminton-asian-games-draw-india-men-women-potentially-face-japan-in",
        "published": "2026-09-19T04:17:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Olympic Council of Asia president says politics have already entered into the Asian Games",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/olympic-council-of-asia-president-says-politics-have-already-entered",
        "published": "2026-09-19T07:03:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Asian Olympic chief urges politicians to stay out of sport at Nagoya Games",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/asian-olympic-chief-urges-politicians-to-stay-out-of-sport-at-nagoya-8413173",
        "published": "2026-09-19T07:30:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}