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The 20th Asian Games will officially begin in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya region today, amid concerns over accommodation, transportation, management and unpredictable weather.
The grand opening ceremony of Asia’s biggest multi-sport event will begin at 3pm Bangladesh time at Mizuho Park Stadium in Nagoya.
Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time and is seeking to make a successful return as host after 32 years. The previous edition it hosted was in Hiroshima in 1994, following Tokyo in 1958.
However, concerns have emerged even before the opening ceremony, particularly over accommodation and transport arrangements.
Instead of building a traditional athletes’ village, organisers have arranged accommodation in hotels, temporary rooms and a cruise ship for around 17,000 athletes and officials. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has backed the approach as a way to control costs and avoid unused facilities after the Games.
The arrangement has nevertheless drawn complaints from some teams over cramped rooms and small beds.
The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena arrived in Nagoya last week to accommodate around 4,000 athletes and officials. The vessel is about 300 metres long, weighs more than 100,000 tonnes and has around 1,500 cabins.
Weather has added another challenge. Heavy rain recently disrupted train services in Nagoya and surrounding areas, forcing several hundred athletes to be relocated from temporary accommodation. Organisers are also keeping a close watch on the possibility of a typhoon during the early days of the Games.
The weather over the past two days, however, has provided some relief.
The Games will run from September 19 to October 4, featuring more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions competing across 43 sports and 469 medal events.
Besides the main host area of Aichi-Nagoya, some events will be held in other Japanese cities, including swimming in Tokyo and football and several other events in Osaka.
The Games are known as one of Asia’s biggest sporting gatherings, bringing together the continent’s leading athletes every four years.