‘I’m a ghost’: India’s MMA fighter Varun Sanyal exposes Asian Games chaos after 2 days without sleep, then deletes posts

In a 7-minute video he later deleted, Sanyal spoke about the long delays at the convention centre, where athletes were left waiting for clearance.

Varun Sanyal, a bronze medallist at the Asian Championships in China in January 2026, opened up about the ordeal he faced upon arriving in Japan for the Asian Games, where he will represent India in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which is making its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Some Indian athletes staying aboard the much-criticised Costa Serena cruise ship have complained that rooms meant for two are being shared by three, while competitors from the host nation have also reportedly been forced to look for alternate accommodation amid the organisational chaos surrounding the mega-event.

In a seven-minute video he later deleted on social media, Sanyal detailed the difficulties he faced after travelling from London to Nagoya via Mumbai and Singapore. He spoke about the long delays at the convention centre, where athletes were left waiting for clearance. Despite having an official accreditation ID card, which also serves as his visa, Sanyal said officials could not find his name in the system. He also spoke about being left waiting for around three hours without a clear resolution or food, detailing the confusion and frustration he experienced upon reaching Japan.

"It's been one crazy day, and it's still not over. I thought it was done, but it's not. There's a lot of chaos with regards to the athletes' rooms and assignment of rooms. Had this happened in India, 100% this would be a bigger deal. The media would be running wild with it, and India as a country wouldn't hear the end of it," Sanyal said in the video.