Transport Chaos Plagues Nagoya Asian Games as Teams Face Hours-Long Delays

Thai sepak takraw athletes at the 2026 Asian Games encountered serious problems accessing their accommodation on the Costa Serena cruise ship, with competitors forced to sleep on floors after enduring nearly 20 hours of travel and waiting. Thana Chaiyaprasit, secretary-general of Thailand's Olympic Committee, stated that the Nagoya-Aichi 2026 hosts are facing significant systemic issues, with Thai athletes waiting for extended periods. Thai Olympic officials worked to resolve the crisis by temporarily assigning rooms meant for other athletes who had not yet arrived. On September 17, Thai athletes arriving in the morning waited nearly 4 hours just for transport. Chinese media reports indicate that athletes from China and many other nations were stranded near Nagoya Airport for hours due to transport system failures and a lack of available buses. An Indian rowing coach reported that his team landed around 10:00 a.m. but waited more than 4 hours at the transport hub because staff could not locate athlete information in the system. China's gymnastics team faced similar issues, with only 2 of 21 team members' records appearing in the system. While waiting, Chinese gymnasts laid out yoga mats and used foam rollers to train. China's badminton team took matters into their own hands, initially attempting public airport transport before recruiting staff from China's Nagoya consulate general, who arranged chartered minibus rentals through the local Chinese community. The badminton team departed by chartered bus around 16:30 (6.5 hours after arrival), while table tennis, wushu, and rowing teams boarded buses around 17:00, and the gymnastics team departed around 18:00.