No food for hours: System failure strands Asian Games athletes

NAGOYA (Japan): Hundreds of athletes and officials attending the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were stranded for hours on Wednesday after a major transport breakdown at a key reception venue.

The delays occurred at Aichi Sky Expo, located next to Chubu Centrair International Airport, after an on-site system failed to retrieve credentials for numerous arriving delegations, leaving them unable to board pre-arranged shuttle buses.

No official explanation was given for the failure.

A Chinese delegation including several national teams landed at 12.15pm (local time), but missing system records prevented them from boarding their transport.

An Indian rowing coach said his squad arrived at 10am and waited over four hours for transport, noting that teams landing even earlier faced similar delays.

Only two of 21 members of China's gymnastics team could be located in the system, leaving the entire squad stranded.

Exhausted athletes waited for hours inside the venue.

Some Chinese athletes laid out yoga mats to stay warm and continue training.

"No one has told us the exact departure time. Even staff and volunteers have no clear answers," a Chinese official said.

Kazakhstan's shooting team waited more than two hours without an explanation.

A volunteer attributed the disruption to poor coordination.

"Many parts of the workflow are not connected. Teams can arrange private transport if they want, but they have to cover the costs themselves," the volunteer said.

China's badminton team tried to take public airport buses but could not buy enough tickets.

Some members departed separately while others waited until staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Nagoya arranged chartered vehicles.

The full team left at 4.30pm.

Members of China's table tennis, wushu, and rowing teams boarded official buses around 5pm, while the gymnastics team departed at 6pm, six hours after arriving.

For some delegations, the ordeal lasted much longer.

At about 7pm, a Sri Lankan official said their total travel and waiting time had reached 24 hours.

Only drinking water was available at the venue, with no food provided.

"These off-field troubles are harder to endure than the competitions themselves," an athlete said.

The breakdown has raised concerns about host preparedness ahead of the regional multi-sport event. - Bernama-Xinhua