Nagoya faces possible typhoon threat early in Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan - Asian Games organisers are bracing for possible weather disruption in the opening few days of the multi-sports gathering, with the possibility of a typhoon hitting the Aichi-Nagoya coast on Sept 21.

The 20th Asiad officially starts with the opening ceremony on Sept 19, but soccer, basketball and volleyball competitions are among those already underway in the region.

Tropical storm Dujuan was located off Japan’s Pacific coast as of 0300 GMT (11am, Singapore time) on Sept 17 and heading north-west towards central Japan, where Nagoya is located. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 90kmh and gusts of up to 126kmh.

Torrential rains hit Nagoya and the surrounding region last week, leaving schools closed, train services suspended and forcing several hundred athletes to evacuate their accommodation.

Kosei Inoue, Japan’s chef de mission for the Games and a senior executive board member of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), addressed the weather threat at a news conference on Sept 17.

“Due to the heavy rain and severe weather, some competitions have already experienced delays or postponements, and there is also a possibility that a typhoon could approach on Sept 21,” he told reporters.

“Under these circumstances, we are holding thorough meetings within the JOC to ensure that we are fully prepared and capable of responding appropriately to these situations.” REUTERS