Japanese governor says he wished Thai dosirak critics 'hadn't come' to Asian Games

Omura Hideaki, the governor of Japan's Aichi Prefecture and chair of the organizing committee for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, has drawn backlash after saying he wished members of the Thai techball delegation — who had complained about meals at the venue — "hadn't come."

According to Japan's Mainichi Shimbun and Chunichi Shimbun on Tuesday, Omura made the remarks at a regular press conference, saying it was "a bit much" to claim there was "only this kind of food" and suggesting the complainants may have come "just to rack up views." He added: "I wondered what they came here for. I wish people like that hadn't come."

The controversy began when the Thai techball team's director posted a video on Facebook during the Games last September, showing a lunch dosirak provided at the venue and smiling wryly at the small portion size and the fact that only one menu option was available. The clip was picked up by Thai media and spread widely.

Omura has maintained that the food issue falls outside the organizing committee's jurisdiction. Techball was added as an official event in February at the request of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), on the condition that the organizing committee would not bear operational responsibilities or costs. Accommodation, meals and other logistics were handled by the relevant international sports federation, not the organizing committee.

At the time, the organizing committee said in a statement: "The meals were not provided by the organizing committee."

Once Omura's remarks became public, Thai outlet Khaosod ran a story on Tuesday under a headline characterizing his comments as the Aichi governor accusing Thai athletes of "chasing views" over the meal dispute.

According to Japan's Jiji Press, Thai social media users responded with criticism, with some writing: "This is a governor with no professionalism — even if you're unhappy, you shouldn't speak that way," and "This Games has made it painfully clear how much Japan has changed."

As the controversy grew, Omura took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday to clarify his position. He said newspaper reports had created a misleading impression that he had directed the "hadn't come" remark at the Thai team as a whole.

Omura said the comment had been aimed specifically at the Thai team's "director and coaches," and that he had not made any remark to the effect that the Thai team itself should not have come. However, he did not walk back the remarks directed at the director and coaches.

In contrast, at a closing press conference held jointly with the OCA immediately after the Games ended, Omura apologized for operational shortcomings, saying he was "sorry to the athletes."

The Asian Games, which wrapped up Sunday, was marred by a series of organizational problems, including a shortage of athlete accommodation, transportation mix-ups, the wrong national anthem being played and empty spectator seats.