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Asian Games chief says larger-than-expected athlete numbers drove operational troubles
En breve
Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, who heads the organizing committee of the Asian Games that closed on October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya, said on October 6 that the participating delegation swelled to about 17,000, roughly 2,000 more than expected, and that this weighed on operations. He said venue contractor GL Events missed some deadlines for temporary facilities, and put ticket sales above 70% against an assumption of 60%. Sankei Shimbun reported that the Games also saw a series of operational mishaps over Taiwan, including a spectator with a “Taiwan” towel being stopped and a sign listing prohibited flags that the committee later called improper and apologised for.
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Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, who heads the organizing committee of the Asian Games held in Aichi and Nagoya, said at a regular press conference on October 6 that the number of participating athletes and officials grew to about 17,000, roughly 2,000 more than had been expected, and that this placed a burden on operations. Asked about the run of operational problems, he said his feeling was that the additional load and the extra arrangements and schedule changes that piled up in the month before the opening were the biggest factor. The Games closed on October 4. [ 1 , 2 ]
Omura described the event as covering 43 sports and 469 events, a scale larger than the Olympics, and said it was carried through without major accidents, thanking the public. He said the Olympic Council of Asia announced a month before the opening that more than 17,000 people would take part, above the level set in the committee's contract, and that the figure rose to about 17,000 after the committee had spoken of more than 15,000. The Games, unlike the Olympics, have no participation standards, he noted, a character that gives many athletes a chance to compete. [ 2 ]
On venue construction and operations, Omura referred to the French contractor GL Events, whose contract is with its Japanese entity, and to its record at the Paris Olympics and the Jakarta Asian Games, but said there were cases where deadlines for temporary facilities were not kept. Inspections and tests after facilities were finished could not be carried out sufficiently and the schedule became tight, he said, adding that it was regrettable that deadlines that had been set were not observed. [ 1 , 2 ]
On tickets, he said the committee is still examining the figures but that the sales rate was above 70%, against an assumption of 60%, and that sales could be called a success. He said OCA officials told him more than 3 billion people watched on television or video and that conveying Aichi and Nagoya to the world was probably the biggest legacy. The Asian Para Games starts on October 18, and he said he thought it could be handled properly. [ 2 ]
Sankei Shimbun reported a separate set of problems involving Taiwan. It said a spectator holding a towel marked “Taiwan” was stopped by staff at a baseball game between Taiwan and China on the 25th, and that staff explained the towel amounted to a political statement. The committee said at a press conference on the 29th that the towel was not a banned item and that the episode came from a mistaken perception by the staff on site and the committee's venue manager. [ 3 ]
On the 26th, at the entrance to the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park baseball stadium, a sign illustrated the flag Taiwan treats as its national flag alongside the rising sun flag and said in Japanese, English and traditional Chinese that those flags could not be brought in; it was removed the next day. The committee apologised on the 28th, saying the rising sun flag was not subject to the ban and the sign was inappropriate because of mistaken perception on site, but its apology did not mention Taiwan, Sankei reported. [ 3 ]
Taiwan competes at the Olympics and international sports events under the name Chinese Taipei, a formula agreed at an IOC board meeting in Nagoya in October 1979 and accepted by Taiwan in 1981, according to Sankei. The report also said that the day before the opening, Taiwan's sports minister Lee Yang was briefly refused entry to the athletes' village welcome ceremony despite having applied in advance and holding the required credentials, and was admitted after negotiations by the Taiwanese delegation. Before the Games, the characters meaning “national” on a banner at a Taiwan delegation base at a Nagoya elementary school were painted over by an unknown person; Aichi prefectural police are investigating on suspicion of property damage, and the culprit and motive are not known. Lin Shogo, head of a group of Taiwanese residents in Japan, told Sankei at a press conference on the 19th that he found it very regrettable that such things happened in Japan. [ 3 ]
Por qué importa
The comments are the organizing committee's own account of what went wrong at a large multi-sport event, and they come ahead of the Asian Para Games, which starts on October 18 at the same venues. The Taiwan-related incidents touch on rules that have governed Chinese Taipei's participation since the 1979 IOC decision taken in Nagoya, a point the committee had to address publicly during the Games.
Datos clave
- The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games closed on October 4. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Governor Hideaki Omura, head of the organizing committee, said at an October 6 press conference that the participating delegation grew to about 17,000, roughly 2,000 more than expected. [ 2 ]
- Omura said the Games covered 43 sports and 469 events, a scale larger than the Olympics, and were carried out without major accidents. [ 2 ]
- He said venue contractor GL Events did not keep some deadlines for temporary facilities, leaving too little time for inspections and tests. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said ticket sales were above 70% against an assumption of 60%, and that sales could be called a success, with figures still being examined. [ 2 ]
- He said OCA officials told him more than 3 billion people watched the Games on television or video. [ 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reported Taiwan-related operational errors, including a spectator with a “Taiwan” towel being stopped and a sign listing prohibited flags that was later removed; the committee apologised. [ 3 ]
- The Asian Para Games begins on October 18. [ 2 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
Aún sin aclarar
- Whether the larger than expected delegation was the main cause of the operational troubles. Omura said it was his impression that the extra load was the biggest factor; the documents give no independent confirmation.
- The final ticket sales figures. Omura said the committee is still examining them and gave only a view that the rate exceeded 70%.
- Who painted over the characters on a banner at the Taiwan delegation base in Nagoya, and why. Sankei reported that Aichi prefectural police are investigating on suspicion of property damage and that the culprit and motive are not known.
- How the Taiwan-related errors occurred and whether anyone was held responsible. The committee attributed them to mistaken perception by on-site staff and its venue manager; no further detail is given in the documents.
- A complete list of the operational troubles at the Games. Documents give the participant numbers, contractor deadlines and Taiwan-related cases, but do not present an exhaustive account.
- The organizing committee acknowledged at a press conference that a sign restricting certain flags was inappropriate and apologised, saying it stemmed from a mistaken perception on site. Reported by a single source so far
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- The day before the opening: Taiwan's sports minister Lee Yang is temporarily refused entry to the athletes' village welcome ceremony despite having applied in advance and holding the required credentials, and is admitted after negotiations by the Taiwanese delegation (Sankei Shimbun). [ 3 ]
- The 25th: at the Taiwan-China baseball game, a Taiwanese spectator holding a towel marked “Taiwan” is stopped by Games staff, who say it amounts to a political statement. [ 3 ]
- The 26th: a sign illustrating a flag Taiwan treats as its national flag alongside the rising sun flag and saying such flags cannot be brought in is put up at the entrance to Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park baseball stadium. [ 3 ]
- The 27th: the sign is removed. [ 3 ]
- The 28th: the organizing committee apologises, saying the rising sun flag was not subject to the ban and the sign was inappropriate because of mistaken perception on site; the apology does not mention Taiwan. [ 3 ]
- The 29th: the committee says at a press conference that a towel marked “Taiwan” is not a banned item and that the stopping of the spectator came from mistaken perception by the staff on site and the committee's venue manager. [ 3 ]
- October 6: Governor Hideaki Omura, head of the organizing committee, holds a regular press conference, saying the delegation grew by about 2,000 over expectations and commenting on the operational troubles. [ 1 , 2 ]
- October 6: TBS NEWS DIG reports the press conference, including Omura's remark that it was regrettable that deadlines set for the contractor were not kept. [ 1 ]
- October 6: Asahi Shimbun publishes details from the press conference, including the 17,000 figure, criticism of GL Events, ticket sales and the October 18 start of the Asian Para Games. [ 2 ]
- October 7: Sankei Shimbun publishes its report on the Taiwan-related operational troubles. [ 3 ]