Anthems, transport, housing: What’s gone wrong at the Asian Games in Japan?
Accommodation crisis, transport gaffes and national anthem mix-ups headline the games before their opening in Japan.
A glitzy opening ceremony offered some respite and a more cheerful welcome for athletes and officials attending the Asian Games in Japan after a string of mishaps had headlined the build-up to the continental sporting event.
Five years after the Tokyo Olympics were held at empty venues due to COVID-19 restrictions, Japan welcomed fans to the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya for a curtain-raiser that was initially subdued before bursting into a festival of colour and sound.
Organisers will hope the ceremony can draw a line under a rocky build-up, laden with complaints from athletes and officials involving accommodation and transport.
Several national team delegations, including hosts Japan, have found the arrangements below par, complaining of mix-ups and double bookings, while South Korea said the containers at Garden Pier were too cramped for their basketball players.