'Failing, chaotic, musical chairs': Teams slam Asian Games organisers - CNA

"If I were to give them a grade, it would be an F," said Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee. 

General view of people outside wooden container units in the Athletes' Village ahead of the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Sep 18, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Anushree Fadnavis)

NAGOYA: Several teams on Thursday (Sep 24) criticised how the Asian Games in Japan have been organised, with Thailand likening it to a "chaotic" game of "musical chairs" and South Korea saying "they deserve a failing grade".

The biggest issue at the Aichi-Nagoya Games has been a shortage of rooms for the 17,000 participants, while some athletes have complained of cramped accommodation.

That was compounded by delays at airports and hours-long waits to board a cruise ship acting as a floating hotel. 

Erratic transport services have seen competitors' buses to training and venues turning up late or, in some cases, not at all.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less No traditional athletes' village has been built, as a cost-cutting measure.

Teams have instead been staying in temporary container-style huts, hotels and the Costa Serena cruise ship moored in Nagoya port.

"It remains a problem from the beginning until now," Chalitrat Chandrubeksa, deputy secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, told AFP.

"The number of (rooms available on) cruise ships and hotels does not match our actual number of athletes," he added. 

"On the peak day, we required 201 beds on the cruise ship but they provided only 170.

"When athletes checked in and found their names missing from the list, they had to be placed somewhere else and when the new athletes arrived, the previous ones had to move out and look for other hotels.

Frustrated athletes have made their feelings known online, with complaints also about some of the food.

More than 4,000 people are staying on the ship in Nagoya's port and 2,000 in the cramped wooden container huts, called "villas" by organisers.

"We are solving the problem by finding replacement accommodations ourselves," said Chalitrat.

The shortages meant the Thailand team had to put some staff far away from the Games epicentre in the city of Nagoya.

"Our medical team has to stay about one hour 30 minutes from Nagoya," said Chalitrat.

"We had to rent additional vehicles from Tokyo so they could travel to look after the athletes.

South Korea have consistently criticised the organisers and said Thursday the problems were "affecting athletes' performances", the news agency Yonhap reported.

Aiming renewed fire at officials, Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, added: "If I were to give them a grade, it would be an F."

He accused local organisers of "making excuses".