The Asian Games 2026 have been hit with multiple accomodation and transportation issues even before the event officially gets underway on Saturday.
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Thailak Sepak Takraw sleep on the floor without rooms in Nagoya(Source: X)
Widespread transport delays left numerous athletes and officials from various countries and regions stranded on Wednesday at Aichi Sky Expo, a venue next to Chubu Centrair International Airport, ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026Many arriving delegations waited hours for transfers to their official accommodation, after the on-site system failed to find information for a large number of athletes, leaving them unable to board the pre-arranged shuttle busesNo official explanation was given for the problem.
A group of Chinese delegation members, including several national teams, arrived at the airport around 1215 pm local timeSome of their information could not be found in the system, preventing the group from boarding the shuttle buses, reports Xinhua news agency.
The disruption affected delegations from multiple countries and regionsOnly two of the 21 members of China’s gymnastics team could be found in the on-site system, according to a delegation member, leaving the entire team stranded.
THAI SEPAK TAKRAW TEAM LEFT WITHOUT ROOMS AT ASIAN GAMES
Thailand’s national sepak takraw team was reportedly forced to sleep on the floor of a cruise ship lobby after arriving in Nagoya for #AsianGames2026, with their accommodation records reportedly missing.
NOT A GOOD… https://t.co/CRZknhTjWf pic.twitter.com/xgkbVlif0r
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 17, 2026
Exhausted athletes waited for hours at Aichi Sky Expo, just outside the airport terminalsMany Chinese athletes used the downtime to train, laying out yoga mats to stay warmed up“No one has told us the exact departure timeEven staff and volunteers have no clear answers,” a Chinese delegation official said.
The waiting continued through the afternoonKazakhstan’s shooting team waited more than two hours without any official explanationA volunteer said the chaos appeared to stem from poor coordination between departments.
“Many parts of the workflow are not connectedTeams can arrange private transport if they want, but they have to cover the costs themselves,” the volunteer said.
With no clear timeline for the official buses, China’s badminton team tried to take public airport buses but could not get enough tickets for everyoneSome athletes left separately while the rest stayed behindThe remaining badminton players were helped by staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Nagoya, who arranged chartered vehicles through local overseas Chinese contactsThe full team finally left Aichi Sky Expo at 4:30 p.m.
Other Chinese teams also faced long delaysSome members of the table tennis, wushu and rowing teams boarded official buses around 5 pm, while the gymnastics team did not leave until 6 pm – nearly six hours after arriving.
For some delegations, the ordeal lasted far longerAt around 7 p.mlocal time, an official with the Sri Lankan delegation said the team’s total travel and waiting time had stretched to 24 hours since leaving home.
Conditions throughout the day remained basicOnly drinking water was provided at the venue, with no food available“These off-field troubles are harder to endure than the competitions themselves,” a fatigued athlete said.
The logistical breakdown before the Games has raised widespread concerns about the host’s ability to run the event smoothly.
China wins women’s volleyball opener, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand and Japan also victorious
China beat the Philippines 3-0 for their first victory in Group B of the women’s volleyball tournament at the Asian Games 2026Tang Xin scored a match-high 19 points, while Zhuang Yushan added 17 and Wang Aoqian had 13 as China won 25-18, 25-22, 25-8 in 72 minutes.
The Philippines kept the first two sets competitive before China, who won the gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, improved their blocking and defense to dominate the third, reports Xinhua.
“The Philippines put up a spirited fight, and their back-row defense caused us quite a few problems,” China head coach Zhao Yong said“I think we failed to apply enough pressure on them defensively, especially in the second set.”
China entered the Asian Games looking to rebound after losing 3-2 to Thailand in last month’s Asian Championship final, a result that denied it direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
China will next face Kazakhstan in their second Group B match on Friday.
Host Japan beat Nepal 3-0 in Group ANewly-crowned Asian champion Thailand swept Mongolia 3-0, and Chinese Taipei beat Kyrgyzstan 3-0 in Group CIn Group D, South Korea defeated Hong Kong, China, 3-0 and Vietnam beat Qatar 3-0.
– With IANS inputs
