Nagoya AG organizers push back on boarding chaos, poor food claims

The organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has pushed back against criticism over delayed cruise ship boarding and poor food quality, saying neither issue was the committee's fault.

The committee issued an official statement Tuesday saying it was aware that some delegations had posted about the confusion on social media during the cruise ship boarding process on Wednesday.

"Some reports stated that boarding was delayed because the organizing committee had not submitted accommodation information to the lodging system, but that was not the cause," the committee said. "We understand the main cause of the delay and confusion was that some delegations submitted incomplete documentation, which took time to resolve."

The committee also said cruise ship operations had been contracted out to Italian cruise line Costa Cruises and Japanese travel agency JTB. "We are working with our contractors to respond appropriately to the situation," it said, adding that it would cooperate closely with the relevant companies to ensure smooth reception of all delegations.

The boarding confusion took place Wednesday, three days before the Games' opening ceremony. Delegations from China, India, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and several other countries waited for extended periods at Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport and Nagoya Port while awaiting accommodation assignments.

India's Sunday Guardian reported that a system error at the airport prevented some athletes from being identified, leaving them unable to board shuttle buses to their accommodations. Thailand's sepak takraw team spent the night on the cruise ship lobby floor after no cabin assignment could be found for them.

Mizutori Hisashi, deputy chief of the Japanese delegation, also said male and female athletes, or coaches and athletes, had been assigned to the same room in some cases, calling the assignments a numbers-only exercise on paper.

The committee also addressed social media posts criticizing the quality of food and beverages served at the teqball venue, saying flatly that "the food and beverages in question were not provided by the organizing committee."

Thailand's teqball team had earlier posted photos and video showing that the lunch served at the venue came plated rather than as a buffet, with athletes allowed to choose only one of two vegetable banchan (side dishes).

The committee said it had established a meal-service system at each accommodation facility taking into account the characteristics of each sport, competition schedules and training plans. It added that it was working with contractors to accommodate individual requests from national Olympic committees regarding food allergies and religious or cultural dietary restrictions.

The organizing committee and the Olympic Council of Asia had already issued a joint statement in late August, dismissing reports of accommodation shortages as inaccurate and saying they had provided "suitable accommodations for all more than 17,000 athletes and officials who registered before the July entry deadline."

The committee had originally projected around 15,000 participants, but the figure grew by roughly 2,000 as additional sports were added to the program. Rather than building a new athletes' village, the committee has distributed delegations among the cruise ship Costa Serena, container-style wooden lodging units and hotels.

"We will sincerely listen to the voices of the delegations," the committee said, pledging to work with contractors and relevant agencies to keep the existing accommodation and meal systems running stably while implementing improvements so that all delegations can participate in the Games with peace of mind.

The Games run through Oct. 4.