Nagoya was hit by a record flood before the Asian Games, 400 athletes were evacuated

Aichi-Nagoya, which will host the 2026 Asian Games, was hit by record flooding just 10 days before the continental competition. Rain lashed parts of the central Japanese city on Tuesday, September 8, flooding dozens of roads and homes, temporarily disrupting bus and subway services and forcing about 3,500 people to seek shelter in emergency evacuation centers.

Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa revealed that about 400 athletes and staff who had already arrived in the city were briefly evacuated to higher ground. Japanese media also showed widespread flooding across the city, including flooded streets and subway stations.

The AP news agency said roofs were also leaking, but Hirosawa said dozens of Asian Games venues were not seriously damaged.

“We are not worried about the conditions at the venues and believe there is no problem to hold the Asian Games as planned,” Hirosawa told reporters.

The Asian Games will begin in Nagoya and surrounding areas on September 19 and run until October 4.

ASIAN GAMES DEPARTMENT OF INDIA

The Sports Ministry on Wednesday approved a contingent of 246 team officials and coaches for the 503 athletes who will compete in the 20th Asian Games, with athletics and cricket getting the largest support staff for the showpiece in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Asian Games 2026. (Photo Reuters)

The ministry initially approved 492 athletes in 35 disciplines for the Games, but as expected, several names have since been added, mainly to the athletics team, which has grown from 73 to 79 athletes.

Four surfers were also sanctioned, making India’s participation in 36 disciplines.

The total strength of the Indian contingent now stands at 768, including 19 contingent personnel such as Chief of Mission Sahdev Yadav and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala.

The athletics contingent, which will be without injured javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra, has the largest support team of 31 members, including 20 coaches led by national team coach P Radhakrishnan.

However, Chopra’s coach Jai Chaudhary and physio Ishaan Marwaha feature on the list of support staff, along with James Hillier, director of athletics and head coach of the Reliance Foundation, who is closely associated with sprinter Gurindervir Singh.

The men’s and women’s cricket teams, who will be aiming for a second straight gold medal at the Games, have been endorsed by a 20-member support team headed by VVS Laxman for the men’s team and Amol Muzumdar for the women’s team.

Both units have been given all the support staff that usually accompany them, including cricket operations officer Maroof Fajandar, who has been appointed as the team leader.

The 40-member hockey group with men’s and women’s teams has acquired 14 support staff, including six coaches and three physiotherapists.

The shooting contingent, led by two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, will be assisted by a 17-member support team, including 11 coaches.

National coach Pullela Gopichand will go for the 20-member badminton team together with foreign coaches Irwansyah from Indonesia and Tan Kim Her from Malaysia.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

09 Sep 2026 14:17 IST