NAGOYA: The Asian Games in Japan closed on Sunday after a fortnight lit up by record-smashing young stars but marred by logistical problems, mediocre crowds and accusations of mismanagement, with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) insisting that strong viewership, increased revenue and a slew of world records proved the multi-sport showpiece was a success.

More than 17,000 athletes and officials descended on Nagoya and Aichi prefecture for the continent’s premier sporting spectacle, a figure that was around 2,000 higher than organisers had projected after a flurry of late entries.

The ballooning numbers put pressure on accommodation and transport networks, with the Games held without a traditional athletes’ village in an attempt to reduce costs.

Participants were instead housed in hotels, wooden temporary units and the cruise ship Costa Serena. Organisers had presented the arrangement as a template for future multi-sport events, but it quickly became a source of complaints, with some teams saying the temporary units were too cramped and the beds too short.

The unexpected increase in participants also meant there were not enough beds for everyone.

A Thai Olympic official told AFP it was “like musical chairs” trying to find somewhere to sleep.

Satoshi Murate, secretary general of the organising committee, apologised after the increase strained accommodation and transport arrangements.

Athletes and officials also complained about buses that failed to arrive on time or did not turn up at all. Two teams were sent to the wrong venue, causing a volleyball match to be delayed.

“If I were to give them a grade, it would be an F,” Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, said.

Organisers also came under pressure over attendances, with thousands of empty seats visible at the opening ceremony. At the women’s football semi-final between hosts Japan and South Korea, only 998 spectators were present in a stadium with a capacity of 50,000.

Japanese Olympic Committee president Seiko Hashimoto admitted there had been “many problems”, but said the country wanted to host more international events and would learn from the experience.

She said bad weather had discouraged some spectators but pointed out that several sports were well attended.

About 30,000 people watched South Korea beat Japan 1-0 to win the men’s football gold medal, although the occasion was tarnished when the South Korean flag failed to go up during the victory ceremony.

There were also diplomatic and organisational embarrassments elsewhere. Organi­sers mistakenly played North Korea’s national anthem for the South Korean hockey team.

Yet the sporting action often provided a welcome counterpoint to the problems.

Chinese swimming sensation Yu Zidi, only 13, stole the show with three gold medals, all in Games-record times. The schoolgirl won the 200-metre butterfly and the 200m and 400m individual medley titles and was named one of the Games’ most valuable athletes, marking an extraordinary breakthrough that has raised expectations of her becoming a major medal threat at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Despite her remarkable performances, Yu played down the hype around her.

“I don’t think I am what people describe as a prodigy,” the shy teenager said.

Japan’s 17-year-old swimmer Shin Ohashi also delighted the home crowd by smashing the men’s 200m breaststroke world record.

In athletics, where rain disrupted competition over several days, 20-year-old Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson completed the 100m and 200m double and was named the men’s MVP.

North Korean weightlifter Ri Song Gum, a 140-centimetre (4ft 7in) powerhouse, set three new world records in a single day on her way to gold. Japan also celebrated the emergence of 11-year-old eSports competitor Yuki Kurihara, who became the youngest Games champion in history.

Several sports seeking Olympic recognition made their Asian Games debuts, including padel, mixed martial arts and virtual taekwondo.

Cricket also attracted major attention, particularly in South Asia, with India beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the men’s final. The OCA said India’s hockey and cricket matches against Pakistan drew large television audiences, contributing to stronger overall viewership.

The OCA said the Games generated a near 20 per cent increase in revenue compared with the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, with digital growth and stronger viewing figures driving the rise.

OCA director general Husain Al-Musallam pointed to the records set during the Games as evidence that athletes had been provided with an effective competitive environment.

The OCA said 54 world records, 11 junior world records and 89 continental records were set during the Games. Earlier, Al-Musallam had cited 50 world records after the Games opened on Sept 19.

“This achievement does not come without the best environment,” Al-Musallam, who is also president of World Aquatics, told reporters at a press conference on the final day.

“The athletes cannot perform if they don’t have transportation. The athletes cannot perform if they don’t have good healthcare. The athletes cannot perform if they don’t eat food. Number talks, it’s evidence. We are here to present you the evidence.”

He argued that the Aichi-Nagoya model offered a useful template at a time when major sporting events needed to be sustainable and financially viable.

“We are happy to see that there is no big financial burden in the organising committee, and there is no white elephant staying in Nagoya or any place,” he said.

Al-Musallam also said the Games had offered a moment of unity amid geopolitical and economic turmoil across the continent and beyond.

“When you look to the news, conflict everywhere — in Asia, outside Asia. Economic problems everywhere. But look at Asia, how united we are in sport,” he said.

Tayyab Ikram, chairman of the Games Coordination Committee and president of the International Hockey Federation, acknowledged the logistical difficulties but said they had been overcome through cooperation.

“There is no Games without challenges. There is no Games without initial interruptions,” he said.

“In future, we would like to see more sustainable solution, more improvement and innovation … but without compromising on the athletes’ conditions.”

The Games were the 20th edition of the continental competition, which was first held in 1951. Japan finished second in the medal table with 83 gold medals, a distant second behind China, who topped the standings with 169 golds.

On a dry evening, the Games concluded with a colourful closing ceremony of song and celebration before Japan handed over hosting duties to Doha, which will stage the 2030 Asian Games.

“Tonight we close a Games that will shape the next generation of Asian sport,” OCA president Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani said.

For all the controversy surrounding its organisation, the Aichi-Nagoya Games produced a wealth of sporting landmarks, while leaving organisers with lessons to address before Japan hosts another major international event.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2026