North Korea anthem, delayed ceremonies, housing shortage: Nagoya Asian Games off to rocky start

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has drawn sharp criticism even before its opening ceremony, with the organizing committee facing mounting complaints over a series of operational blunders.

Japanese media outlets, including the Chunichi Shimbun, reported Saturday on a string of organizational failures that have marred the lead-up to the Games.

The most glaring incident came during a men's hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh, when North Korea's national anthem was played instead of South Korea's.

The organizing committee issued a formal apology after South Korea lodged a strong protest, appearing to put the anthem mix-up to rest — but observers said the committee's handling of the situation suggests further missteps are likely once the Games are underway.

In another embarrassing episode, the official athletes' village welcome ceremonies for delegations from North Korea, Palestine, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Yemen and India started an hour and a half late due to a breakdown in communication between the organizing committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.

Delegations arrived at the venue on time but were left waiting without any guidance, and the organizing committee reportedly failed to explain the reason for the delay for more than an hour.

Media outlets said the operational problems span multiple areas, including athlete transportation, information support, volunteer deployment and overall event management.

The Chunichi Shimbun quoted a male volunteer in his 60s as saying he did not receive his finalized work schedule until Thursday — and that it differed from the schedule set in early August.

"We have to arrange our own accommodation and transportation, which puts us in a really difficult position," the volunteer said. "This should never happen."

A shortage of athlete accommodation remains a serious problem. The organizing committee had initially projected 15,000 participants, but the Olympic Council of Asia put the figure at 17,000, leaving organizers scrambling to find lodging for an additional 2,000 people. The situation is further complicated by a five-day Japanese public holiday that began Saturday, making it even harder to secure extra rooms.

South Korea's women's hockey team, staying at a hotel, has had to put three players to a room for several days due to the shortage. An Indian media outlet also reported that its delegation received fewer rooms than allocated and had to separately secure additional hotel rooms.