SAI steps up logistical support for Indian contingent at 2026 Asian Games

Indian athletes in Aichi-Nagoya for the Asian Games. (photo by special arrangement) New Delhi: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has put in place a number of logistical and operational support measures for the Indian contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games to ensure that athletes can focus on competition during the Games.In collaboration with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Embassy of India in Japan and the Organizing Committee of the Games, SAI has deployed a dedicated reception and assistance team at the airport to welcome athletes, coaches and support staff arriving in Japan. At the start of the games, the Indian diaspora also pitched in to help the athletes if needed.The team assists the contingent with immigration and arrival formalities, provides refreshments and guides members to accommodation and competition venues.Key initiatives include dedicated transport for the Indian Shooting Squad, with vehicles adapted to transport athletes to and from competition venues. SAI has also deployed vehicles for medical personnel, enabling them to move quickly between venues and provide timely assistance to athletes.To deal with accommodation constraints, the organization has provided additional rooms for coaches and support staff that could not be accommodated by Games organizers due to limited availability.

Indian athletes on arrival in Japan for the 2026 Asian Games. (photo by special arrangement)

Double Asian Games 2026 medalist Rudrankksh Patil spoke about the accommodation problems he and his fellow shooting contingent faced in Aichi-Nagoya.Patil pointed out that the contingent had to wait for hours for their bus to reach the airport and then the coaches had a falling out with the hotel staff after they were not offered the hotel where they had booked their rooms.“We went to the welcome center. It took us three hours to wait for the bus there. We started leaving for the hotel at 2 or 3 in the morning and reached there around 3:30 or 4:00. After arriving at the hotel, we realized that the hotel we had booked was not our hotel, we only had a few rooms there and it was supposed to be the best hotel,” said Patil.

Indian athletes in Aichi-Nagoya for the 2026 Asian Games. (photo by special arrangement)

“And our trainers there argued that if you can give us a confirmation for the best hotel, how are you going to move us to some other hotel?” he added.The coordinated support is part of SAI’s efforts to provide seamless logistical, medical and operational assistance at the Continental Expo in Japan.