Korean media: "A Southeast Asian Games unlike any before in Japan’s history!"

On October 6, the Korean newspaper Kyunghyang News reported that during the men’s football medal ceremony at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on the 3rd, audience members in South Korea voiced audible disapproval. The incident occurred when the national anthem of South Korea was played for the gold medalists, but the South Korean flag failed to be raised. Japan’s Nikkan Sports noted: "The Asian Games are facing another crisis," adding that due to the timing coinciding with South Korea’s National Foundation Day, some within the country speculated the omission may have been intentional.

The Games concluded on the 4th, marking a series of recurring errors and incidents. During the men’s hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh, the North Korean national anthem was mistakenly played before the game instead of the South Korean one. In the men’s 400-meter relay, South Korea secured bronze, yet the official website incorrectly listed Thailand as the medal winner. Hours before the men’s basketball final, South Korea’s team was forced to cancel practice sessions after their shuttle bus failed to arrive on time.

To cut costs, organizers opted not to build an athletes’ village, instead dispersing competitors across hotels, cruise ships, and prefabricated containers—leading to absurd logistical failures, such as assigning male and female athletes to the same rooms. Media criticism was sharp. The UK’s Independent published an article titled “Why Are Athletes Furious?”, detailing multiple issues during the event, including accommodations, transportation, and scheduling. AFP described the situation as “chaotic.” On the 4th, Asahi Shimbun also criticized the Games as “a competition plagued by problems,” noting that every press conference held by the organizing committee was marked by criticism over operational shortcomings.

Japan had long been synonymous with flawless event management. Hal Buell, a veteran AP photographer who covered multiple Olympics, once described the 1964 Tokyo Olympics as “the most perfectly organized Games ever,” recalling how everything ran with precision, “like clockwork.” The 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics and the 1998 Nagano Winter Games were similarly praised for meticulous planning and execution.

Yet this reputation began to erode starting with the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Despite unprecedented financial investment, controversies emerged repeatedly—ranging from the cancellation of the main stadium design, accusations of logo plagiarism, to allegations of bribery.

A deeper shift has taken place in Japan’s domestic perception of large-scale sporting events. With declining birth rates, an aging population increasing social welfare burdens, and a national debt approaching unsustainable levels, public skepticism has grown over whether it is justifiable to spend vast sums on international sports competitions. Even for this event, public interest remained subdued. As budgets ballooned, organizers resorted to cost-cutting measures—such as scrapping the athletes’ village and shortening delegation stays—which contributed directly to on-site disorder. Poor management risks deepening public resentment toward the perceived burden and inefficiency of hosting major global sporting events.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1878303995743244/

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