"This Is Truly Unfair" Complaints Erupt Over Poor Management at Japan's Asian Games

Rice Served in Paper Cups with Just Three Pieces of Chicken
Athletes Sleeping in Cruise Hallways Due to Accommodation Mix-Ups

The teams from various countries participating in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have raised complaints about the management of the event, citing issues such as inadequate meals and confusion over accommodation assignments.

On September 18, reports and criticism targeting the Asian Games organizing committee’s management appeared across foreign media outlets and social media (SNS) channels, including posts, videos, and photos.

The meal served at the athletes' village, revealed by the Thai national team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Screenshot from X (formerly Twitter)

One X (formerly Twitter) account from Thailand shared a video of the athletes' village cafeteria taken from TikTok, questioning, “Is this really how Japan provides food for the athletes?” and adding, “This is truly unfair. The portions are too small. How can anyone cope?” According to the video, athletes at the village did not have a self-service option; instead, staff served them predetermined portions. Rice was served in a disposable paper cup, soup in an even smaller cup, and on a divided disposable plate, there were three pieces of chicken, a portion of pasta, and a large piece of broccoli. There were concerns that the portion sizes were insufficient not only for athletes facing crucial competitions, but even for an average adult.

Confusion also occurred during the accommodation assignment process. The Thai sepak takraw team reportedly had to sleep on the lobby floor of a cruise ship, which was designated as their accommodation, because their housing registration had been omitted after arriving in Nagoya.

Some teams from India also faced difficulties with accommodation assignments. After waiting for 14 hours, they finally received their rooms, with several athletes having had to sleep on the airport floor during the wait. Indian mixed martial arts athlete Varun Saniyal wrote on social media, “It took me 10 hours to finally get into my cruise ship room and rest,” and added, “About 30 minutes later, two athletes stared at me in bewilderment.”

He explained, “It was a two-person cabin, yet three people were assigned to it,” adding that athletes from other countries, including Tajikistan and Sri Lanka, experienced similar issues.

The organizing committee, aiming to reduce costs and promote environmental sustainability, dispersed the athletes among various types of accommodations. The plan consisted of accommodating around 9,000 people in existing facilities such as hotels, about 4,000 on large cruise ships, and around 2,000 in container-style lodgings. However, there have been complaints among athletes that the container accommodations lack enough bedrooms and are inconvenient inside.

While the organizers promoted a “sustainable event” to reduce accommodation and other costs, total hosting expenses have in fact increased significantly. According to Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun, the total cost, including expenses related to the Asian Para Games, has reached 370 billion yen (approximately 3.26 trillion won), more than triple the original estimate.

Hideaki Omura, governor of Aichi Prefecture and chairman of the Games organizing committee, stated in local media that the reasons for the cost increase were unexpected additional requirements from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and rising prices and labor costs. Specifically, approximately 60 billion yen (around 530 billion won) went toward fulfilling additional OCA requests, and roughly 55 billion yen (about 490 billion won) were attributable to higher prices and labor expenses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.