Sparse crowds at Asian Games greet return of multi-sport action in Japan

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 25 - A week into the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, public enthusiasm appears muted, with swathes of empty seats greeting athletes across several key venues in Japan's first major multi-sport event since the pandemic-hit Tokyo Olympics.

Five years after the Tokyo Games were held largely behind closed doors under strict COVID-19 protocols, it was expected that pent-up domestic demand for live sport would fill the stands at the continental showpiece.

That, however, has not been the case.

Sections of Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium were empty during the opening ceremony on September 19, although the Olympic Council of Asia attributed some of the vacant seats to warnings of an approaching typhoon.

Organisers, however, maintained that ticket interest remained robust.

"Tickets for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya have sold strongly, with the Opening Ceremony and 13 sports surpassing a 90% sales rate," the organisers said in a statement on Friday.

"While demand has been high across most of the programme, tickets remain widely available for football, baseball, hockey and cricket events being staged in larger venues," it added.

The picture inside many arenas has been less encouraging. Badminton players and gymnasts have competed in front of largely empty stands, while crowds at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre have remained sparse despite world-class performances in the pool.

China's 13-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi claimed three golds in her fairytale Asian Games debut, while Japanese prodigy Shin Ohashi shattered the men's 200 metres breaststroke world record. Even the exploits of two of the sport's brightest young talents, however, failed to draw a full house.

Organisers have also faced the challenge of generating interest in sports with a limited following in Japan, such as cricket, in a country where baseball dominates the sporting landscape.

At the Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin City, spectators were given free leaflets explaining the basics of cricket. REUTERS