Athletes criticise organisational, logistical mishaps at ‘sad’ Asian Games

Repeated incidents of organisational failure at the Asian Games have left athletes frustrated, exhausted and disappointed as rain-delayed matches became the latest headache for host nation Japan.

A glitzy opening ceremony did little to overshadow the growing accommodation crisis, logistical gaffes and scheduling issues that have headlined the Games, which opened on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya.

India’s multiple-Olympic medallist PV Sindhu lamented a badminton schedule that saw her play three matches within 18 hours.

“Three matches in 18 hours. Back at 3am, out again at 8:30am. It took a toll,” Sindhu wrote on social media after her quarterfinal exit on Sunday.

Pakistan’s volleyball team was mistakenly taken to the wrong gymnasium an hour before the start of its preliminary round match, forcing its members to change into their kits on the bus and leaving them without enough time for a warm-up.

“Japan has destroyed the dignity and discipline of the Asian Games,” men’s captain Murad Jehan wrote in a now-deleted video on his Instagram account as the team travelled to their match against Uzbekistan, which they won 3-0. “Really disappointing situation.”

He said athletes would often return from training to find their hotel restaurant closed, leaving them unable to eat. “This situation at Asian Games is not acceptable.”

The South Korean men’s basketball team faced a similar incident when they missed a light practice session hours before their final after their shuttle bus did not show up on time. Team officials said they received no explanation.

It was a repeat of what the men’s football team faced when the bus did not arrive at the team’s hotel. A day earlier, the bus took the athletes to a baseball ground instead of the Mizuho Rugby Stadium, causing a 30-minute delay.

‘Rain has ruined everything’

On Monday, persistent rain became the organisers’ latest headache when it disrupted several competitions, including tennis, surfing and cricket.

Both the men’s cricket quarterfinals between Pakistan-Hong Kong and India-Afghanistan were washed out after the playing field was drenched at Korogi Athletic Park on the outskirts of Nagoya.

With no contingency built into the schedule for rained-off matches, Pakistan and India advanced to the semifinals of the T20 tournament by virtue of their higher rankings.

It was a bitter pill for Afghanistan, who saw the gold medal go to India due to the rankings rule three years ago when their Hangzhou Games final was abandoned due to rain.

“The rain started yesterday, so hard luck for us,” Afghanistan opener Mohammed Akram said.

“We would have been happy to play here with India. Our players are in form.

“But unfortunately the rain has ruined everything.”

Typhoon Surigae lashed southern Japan’s Okinawa prefecture on Monday and was projected to track northeast towards central Japan and the Tokyo region by midweek, raising the prospect of strong winds and heavy rain further disrupting the Games.

Typhoon Dujuan hit the Games early in week one, causing equestrian events in Tokyo to be suspended although most competitions were unaffected.

The continental sporting showpiece is mainly based in the city of Nagoya and Aichi prefecture, but Tokyo is also hosting diving events while Osaka is hosting football matches.

The rain saw several tennis matches scrapped on Sunday and caused match delays on Monday.

Fans hoping to catch Filipino headliner Alex Eala’s opening match against Thai opponent Patcharin Cheapchandej were repeatedly frustrated at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre.

Eala, the women’s top seed, had her match shifted off centre court amid the scheduling logjam and wrapped it up in 55 minutes with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Patcharin.

Poor wave conditions saw the surfing called off early at the Long Beach venue southeast of Nagoya with medal finals having already been pushed to Tuesday.

India’s Kishore Kumar Anbarasu was able to complete his heat before it was abandoned, beating China’s Ma Wensong to make it into the quarterfinals on the sport’s Asian Games debut.

“It was not the easiest conditions. It was very hard to find the good waves,” Anbarasu said.

Organisers on Saturday apologised for logistical glitches at the Games that left thousands of athletes with cramped housing conditions and undersized beds that forced several countries to house their athletes elsewhere.

Satoshi Murate, secretary-general of the local organising committee, said a late influx of about 2,000 additional athletes and officials had stretched resources.

“There have been mistakes in accommodation and transport for various reasons,” Murate said.

“Whatever the cause, AINAGOC [the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Asian Para Games Organising Committee] is responsible for providing the service, and I frankly apologise for the mistakes.

“Our staff work every day to identify the causes of each mistake and make sure they don’t happen again. I think you can see that accommodation and transport have improved greatly compared with the early days.”

Organisers chose not to build a traditional athletes village in a bid to save money. Competitors instead are staying in hotels, temporary wooden units and on a cruise ship.

India’s multiple badminton medallist HS Prannoy said that made for a disappointing experience.

“It was sad,” the 34-year-old, who won team bronze, said in a YouTube video published by the Badminton Association of India.

“It never felt like we were playing in an Asian Games, to be honest.”