Five years after Japan staged the Tokyo Olympics at the height of the COVID crisis, organizers of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya are enduring sleepless nights — this time over cost-cutting decisions and a streak of unhelpful weather.
Asia's biggest sporting event has faced flooding, drawn criticism over the decision not to build an athletes' village, and is now bracing for a potential typhoon all before Saturday's (September 19) opening ceremony even takes place.
"We initially planned to build an athletes' village, but it would have been extremely costly," Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, also the deputy president of the Games, told Reuters.
"That is how we ended up with this current approach, working to reduce our budget by using a cruise ship, container housing, and existing hotels," he said.
What initially appeared a novel solution to accommodate a staggering 17,000 athletes and coaches quickly created complications. Some athletes took to social media to complain about cramped container units, small beds, and leaking pipes, even before all delegations had arrived.
READ: Asian Games organizers pledge to address accommodation complaints
Despite cost cutting efforts, Hirosawa acknowledged that the Games' budget had still ballooned.
"With continuous inflation in Japan lately, I believe a certain level of cost increase was inevitable. That said, since these expenses are unavoidable at this stage, our goal now is to make the Games a success that far outweighs the investment," he said.
The elements have not helped. Earlier this month, heavy rain in Nagoya forced the temporary evacuation of hundreds of athletes and officials. With the possibility of a typhoon approaching the region on Monday (September 21), organizers say contingency plans are active and safety remains the priority.
"My biggest concern is the weather, but that's completely out of our hands," Hirosawa said.
"However, in the event of torrential rain that triggers emergency alerts, we will arrange for the athletes to evacuate temporarily. 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," the Nagoya mayor said.
Local media said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will skip the opening ceremony, while 10,000 police officers will oversee security. After the closed-door Tokyo Olympics, organizers are counting on pent-up demand to fill venues.
"It has been a very long time since Japan has hosted a tournament of this scale with spectators, so public attention is extremely high," Hirosawa said.
"Right now, the enthusiasm here in Nagoya is really ramping up," he concluded.
(Camera, editing, production: Irene Wang. Writing: Amlan Chakraborty)