Asian Games stumble before opening with leaks, lost buses

NAGOYA, Japan — A representative of a sports federation who moved into the cruise ship athletes’ village at Kinjo Pier near Nagoya Port on Wednesday expressed frustration, saying, “This is my first international competition like this.” While the accommodations are in much better condition than those at the container-based Garden Pier village, athletes staying aboard the cruise ship will have to spend virtually all of their time living on the water during the Games, while also facing poor access to competition venues. On the same day, athletes staying at the container village had to make their way to shuttle buses in pouring rain. “Once you step outside the containers, there is nowhere to escape either the rain or the sun,” another sports official said. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Asia’s largest sporting event, are set to open on Saturday, but the Games are already being marred by serious operational problems. The organizing committee’s unconventional decision not to build a dedicated athletes’ village, citing cost savings and environmental considerations, has tri