[Aichi-Nagoya 초 절약 긴축, 혼란으로 이어지다(Aichi-Nagoya austerity gives way to chaos)]

9월30일자 외신기사내용 정리

숙박 문제, 교통 실패, 의전 오류가 이미 치솟는 비용 문제로 논란이 된 아시안게임을 더욱 가려버리면서, 일본의 대형 스포츠 이벤트 운영에 대한 명성이 타격을 입었다(Japan's reputation for staging major sporting events has taken a hit after accommodation problems, transport failures and protocol errors overshadowed an Asian Games already facing mounting questions over soaring costs)고 보도되었습니다.

[기사 요약 – Aichi Nagoya 2026 아시안게임, 긴축에서 혼란으로]

1. 비용 폭증

1) 당초 예산: 약 1,000억 엔(6.36억 달러).

2) 실제 지출: 약 3,700억 엔(23.5억 달러)으로 3.7배 증가.

3) 원인: 인플레이션, 인건비 상승, 엔화 약세, OCA 추가 요구, 종목 확대(36→43개).

2. 운영 문제

1) 선수촌 대신 호텔·크루즈 선·컨테이너 숙소 활용 → 침대 크기 부족, 누수, 음식 부족 등 불만.

2) 폭우·태풍 위협으로 혼란 가중.

3) 선수단 숙소 배정 오류, 공항 인증 문제, 교통 혼선 발생.

4) 인도 커뮤니티가 자발적으로 숙소 지원.

3. 프로토콜·교통 실패

1) 남북한 국가 연주 오류, 경기 전 국가 미 연주 사례 발생.

2) 버스가 잘못된 장소로 이동, 훈련 취소 등 교통 문제 다수.

3) 조직위 사무총장 Murate Satoshi 공식 사과(“There have been errors regarding accommodation and transport, which may have occurred for various reasons, but regardless of the cause, responsibility for providing the service rests entirely with us and I would like to sincerely apologise for the errors that have occurred”)

4. 재정 분담

1) Aichi현: 약 1,800억 엔, Nagoya시: 900~1,105억 엔.

2) 중앙정부 지원: 136억 엔(요청액 400억 엔보다 훨씬 적음).

3) 나머지는 후원·티켓 판매로 충당 예정.

4) 경제효과 예상: 전국 3.7조 엔, Aichi현 1.8조 엔.

5. 구조적 문제

1) Tokyo 2020 때 핵심 역할을 했던 광고대행사 덴츠(Dentsu) 부재.

2) 마케팅은 지역 업체 Shinto Tsushin, 경기장 운영은 프랑스 기업 일본지사(venue management went to the Japanese subsidiary of a French company)에 맡김.

3) 경험 부족으로 대형 이벤트 운영 역량에 의문 제기.

6. 일본의 국제 이벤트 신뢰도 타격

1) Tokyo 세계육상선수권(2025), 오사카·간사이 엑스포(2025)에서도 운영 문제 지적.

2) 아시안게임 사례는 일본이 앞으로 국제 메가 이벤트를 어떤 모델로 운영할지에 대한 근본적 의문을 제기.

핵심적으로, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 아시안게임은 긴축 운영을 목표로 했으나 비용은 폭증하고 기본 서비스마저 혼란을 초래, 일본의 오랜 ‘완벽한 조직력’ 이미지에 심각한 타격을 입혔습니다.

[Aichi-Nagoya austerity gives way to chaos]

Japan's reputation for staging major sporting events has taken a hit after accommodation problems, transport failures and protocol errors overshadowed an Asian Games already facing mounting questions over soaring costs.

Aichi-Nagoya 2026 was supposed to mark Japan's return to Asia's biggest multi-sport stage, 32 years after Hiroshima 1994. Instead, the continental Games have drawn fierce criticism at home, with Japanese media questioning how an event built around cost-cutting went so badly wrong. The figures offer part of the explanation.

When Aichi and Nagoya submitted their bid, the combined budget for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games was estimated at around ¥100bn ($636m/€561m). By December 2025, expenditure by the organising committee had risen to approximately ¥298bn ($1.90bn/€1.67bn). Once another ¥70bn ($445m/€393m) in related infrastructure, transport and other expenditure is included, the overall cost is expected to reach approximately ¥370bn ($2.35bn/€2.08bn) — around 3.7 times the original estimate.

J-CAST News highlighted the scale of the increase, describing the final figure as approximately 3.7 times the projected cost. The increase did not have a single cause. Japanese media have pointed to a combination of inflation, higher labour costs, the depreciation of the yen and additional operational demands as preparations progressed.

Inflation and rising labour costs reportedly added between ¥55bn and ¥60bn ($350m-$382m/€309m-€337m), while the weaker Japanese currency increased the cost of imported materials and services. Additional requirements from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) reportedly added another ¥60bn ($382m/€337m). The sporting programme also expanded from 36 to 43 sports, increasing the number of participants, events and venues required.

The growth in participation placed further pressure on an organisational model originally designed for a smaller Games. Organisers had planned for around 15,000 athletes and officials, but more than 17,000 eventually arrived from 45countries and territories to compete across 43 sports and 469 medal events.

Financing, another source of tension

Aichi Prefecture is expected to contribute approximately ¥180bn ($1.14bn/€1.01bn), while Nagoya's contribution has been put at between ¥90bn and ¥110.5bn ($572m-$703m/€505m-€620m).

Japan's central government approved ¥13.6bn ($86.5m/€76.3m) under special legislation in 2025, substantially below the approximately ¥40bn ($254m/€224m) initially requested by the prefecture, city and organising committee. The remaining revenue is expected to come from sources including sponsorship and ticket sales.

Omura has defended the investment by pointing to a projected economic impact of ¥3.7tn ($23.5bn/€20.8bn) across Japan, including around ¥1.8tn ($11.4bn/€10.1bn) in Aichi alone. Whether those forecasts are ultimately achieved will only become clear after the Games. The organisational consequences are already more visible.

Aichi-Nagoya set out to demonstrate that the Asian Games could be staged with greater financial restraint by using existing infrastructure and eliminating unnecessary expenditure.

The principle was straightforward, but its implementation has proved far more difficult: Cuts to accommodation and other operational costs coincided with problems in transport, accreditation and coordination —precisely the areas on which the daily functioning of a multi-sport event depends.

Japan has spent considerably more than originally planned on an Asian Games designed around austerity, yet some of the most basic services have generated the strongest criticism. The financial cost can already be calculated. The impact on Japan's long-standing reputation for organisational excellence may take considerably longer to measure.

One of the most significant cost-cutting decisions was to abandon plans for a conventional athletes' village, producing estimated savings of ¥10.2bn ($65m/€57m). Instead, competitors and officials were spread across city hotels, the Costa Serena cruise ship docked at Nagoya Port and container-style accommodation near Garden Pier.

The cruise ship provided space for around 4,000 people, while the temporary container accommodation was designed for another 2,000. Hotels across the city were expected to absorb the remainder. What appeared on paper to be an innovative and cheaper solution began causing problems before the Opening Ceremony.

Some beds were reportedly too short for taller athletes, water leaked into accommodation units and problems emerged over room allocations. South Korean broadcaster MBC, in reports carried by Record China, also raised concerns over what it described as an insufficient quantity of food for elite athletes. Record rainfall in Nagoya in the days before the Opening Ceremony added to the difficulties, while the threat of a typhoon raised concerns over further disruption.

Chinese gymnast Zhang Boheng, a double silver medallist at Paris 2024, reportedly spent six hours at Chubu Centrair International Airport because of accreditation problems. A Vietnamese volleyball team was taken to the wrong hotel and had to make its own way to the correct accommodation. Other delegations, including India's cricket team, sought accommodation independently.

Nagoya's Indian community also stepped in, with around 2,000 families reportedly offering support amid concerns over the availability of accommodation.

Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura had already warned in August that the budget was based on 15,000 participants. "The budget is for 15,000 people. If more come, they will have to manage on their own," Omura said.

Accommodation was not the only problem

On 18 September, organisers mistakenly played North Korea's national anthem before South Korea's men's hockey match against Bangladesh. South Korea head coach Min Tae-seok said, "It's a really serious problem. It simply should never happen." A day later, the national anthems of South Korea and Hong Kong were not played before a women's handball match.

Transport problems also mounted. A bus carrying South Korea's football team reportedly took the players to a baseball ground, while transport for the men's basketball team failed to arrive before the final, forcing the squad to cancel its scheduled training session. Volleyball players were also reportedly dropped off at the wrong location.

The rising complaints prompted an apology from Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee Secretary General Satoshi Murate, who accepted responsibility for the failures on Saturday.

"There have been errors regarding accommodation and transport, which may have occurred for various reasons, but regardless of the cause, responsibility for providing the service rests entirely with us and I would like to sincerely apologise for the errors that have occurred," Murate said at a press conference.

Murate said the organising committee was investigating the causes 'thoroughly' to prevent a repeat and acknowledged that the higher-than-expected number of athletes had made it more difficult to provide an adequate service.

The problems have also triggered a wider debate in Japan over the structure put in place to deliver the Games.

J-CAST News has pointed, among other factors, to the absence of Dentsu, the advertising giant that played a central role in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before becoming embroiled in corruption scandals connected with the event. With the company excluded, marketing for Aichi-Nagoya was handed to local group Shinto Tsushin, while venue management went to the Japanese subsidiary of a French company. J-CAST News reported discussions over what has been described as the 'price of excluding Dentsu'.

Dentsu's absence, however, does not by itself explain the problems. Tokyo 2020 faced its own organisational controversies, while athletes also raised concerns over measures to deal with extreme heat. Aichi-Nagoya has, nevertheless, exposed questions over whether the structures replacing experienced mega-event operators had sufficient capacity to handle an event of this scale.

The concerns extend beyond the Asian Games

Japan staged the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in 2025, when there were complaints over lengthy journeys and accommodation, while Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai also faced criticism over queues, extreme heat and transport disruption.

The experience of Aichi-Nagoya raises a broader question over the model Japan intends to use for future international mega-events and how much local authorities are prepared to spend to stage them.

*References:

-insidethegames

-J CAST News

-Aichi Nagoya 2026