Nagoya (Japan): Athletes and officials, including several Indians, arriving for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have been facing problems galore getting their accommodation and accreditations.
Now, they are bracing for more trouble as a typhoon threatens to hit the Aichi-Nagoya coast in the next few days, which could derail the Games further.
The latest weather concern comes just days after torrential rain flooded parts of the city, disrupting transport and forcing hundreds of early-arriving athletes and officials to temporarily evacuate their accommodation.
With the some of the competitions having already started and the Opening ceremony scheduled for Saturday, authorities have warned that athletes could be temporarily evacuated if the 100 kmph winds lash out at the coastal city.
Tropical storm Dujuan was moving towards central Japan on Friday, with maximum sustained winds of around 90 kmph, gusting up to 126 kmph. The storm could approach the Aichi-Nagoya region on September 21.
Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who is also the deputy president of the Asian Games, said the competition will continue under normal rainy conditions. However, emergency measures will have to be triggered if torrential rain leads to evacuation alerts.
“Under normal rainy conditions, the Games will carry on as usual. However, in the event of torrential rain that triggers emergency alerts, we will arrange for the athletes to evacuate temporarily,” Hirosawa told Reuters.
Cruise ship plan
With around 17,000 athletes and officials due to attend the Asian Games, the authorities have drawn up a contingency plan for the Costa Serena, an Italian cruise ship that has been brought in to accommodate thousands of athletes and officials. If the winds reach typhoon strength, the ship will leave the dock and move offshore to safer waters.
“Additionally, if we encounter typhoon-level strong winds, the cruise ship will move offshore. We already have clear protocols in place for situations like these,” Hirosawa said.
Accommodation controversy
The Games have got off to a nightmarish start, as numerous athletes have been hit by unprecedented delays.
South Korean contingent has complained about the quality of accommodation, and India has questioned the massive delays athletes are facing in finding their rooms.
Organisers decided against building a traditional Athletes’ Village, as constructing a permanent village is an extremely expensive proposition and could have left Nagoya with a ‘white elephant’ after the Games.
Athletes and officials are being accommodated in hotels, temporary shipping-container-style housing and the Costa Serena cruise ship.
It’s an untried, unconventional system which has not worked out smoothly.
Athletes have complained about cramped conditions and undersized beds. The hosts even revealed that some male and female athletes, coaches and officials had been assigned to shared rooms because of the pressure on available accommodation.
