Japan Olympics chief says Asian Games organisers must reflect after operational problems

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct 3 - Asian Games organisers need to reflect on whether they could have been better prepared for challenges brought by the number of athletes at the multi-sport event, Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said on Saturday.

Organisers budgeted for 15,000 athletes and officials at the Aichi-Nagoya Games but total registrations rose to around 17,000, forcing a scramble to accommodate the extras.

Hashimoto said dealing with the additional competitors had proved extremely difficult, causing inconvenience for athletes.

"We must reflect on whether we could have prepared better in advance and take this as a valuable lesson for the future," she told a press conference in Nagoya.

"Rather than a centralised athletes village, there were a large number of different accommodations spread out across various locations, and I understand that this created significant challenges when it came to transportation."

Organisers housed athletes in a mix of hotels, temporary wooden container units and a cruise ship in a bid to save costs.

Several national team delegations complained about chaotic logistics, with rooms double-booked or assigned to the wrong athletes, along with transport problems that affected athletes' preparations for competition.

Asian Games organising committee Secretary General Satoshi Murate apologised last week for mistakes in accommodation and transport, saying a late surge of athletes and officials had made it difficult to ensure smooth service.

"Even for situations that seem beyond our control, anticipating potential issues and preparing for them beforehand is vital to the successful operation of the Games," said Hashimoto, who was the Tokyo Olympics' organising committee head.

"Addressing this will be one of our primary tasks moving forward." REUTERS