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Asian Games 2026: MMA star Varun Sanyal confirms Indian athletes were stranded in Japan
Varun Sanyal has confirmed reports of prolonged accommodation delays affecting India's Asian Games contingent in Nagoya, while rowers and shooters have also encountered separate logistical hurdles ahead of the 19 September opening.
Indian athletes have faced accommodation and logistical problems in Japan ahead of the 2026 Asian Games, with several members of the contingent reportedly left waiting for hours after arriving in Nagoya.
The issues emerged as athletes began reaching Japan for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which officially open on 19 September. India has sent a 503-athlete contingent to the Games.
Indian MMA fighter Varun Sanyal confirmed that he was among those affected by the delay. Responding to a post on X about Indian athletes being left without accommodation in Nagoya, Sanyal wrote: “I can confirm this is true... I'm currently on 7 hours and counting.”
Sanyal is part of India’s two-member MMA team at the Asian Games and will compete in the men's traditional 77kg category. MMA is making its debut as a medal sport at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. His teammate Suchika Tariyal will compete in the women's 60kg category.
A major problem has been the allocation of accommodation. Several Indian athletes who arrived in Nagoya on 16 September were reportedly unable to get rooms after reaching the Costa Serena cruise ship, which is being used as one of the accommodation facilities for participants.
According to reports, some Indian athletes waited for more than 12 hours without being assigned accommodation. The athletes were provided water, while some reportedly relied on food they had carried with them.
The accommodation issue was not limited to India. Organisers have been using several forms of accommodation because no conventional Athletes' Village was constructed for the Games.
The Costa Serena cruise ship is being used to accommodate around 4,000 participants, while shipping-container-style facilities, hotels and other accommodation options are also being used.
Japanese organisers have attributed the accommodation difficulties partly to an increase in the expected number of participants.
The organisers had initially planned for about 15,000 athletes and officials, but the number increased to around 17,000 following the addition of sports. Organisers have said accommodation is guaranteed for all participants.
The problems have also affected other Indian teams. A majority of India's rowing squad reportedly faced difficulties with their accommodation details, with several athletes' names missing from the accreditation system.
The shooting contingent also encountered a delay after arriving at Nagoya airport, with members waiting for transport before eventually reaching their hotel in the early hours.
India's shooters have subsequently faced another logistical issue, with the accommodation reportedly located a considerable distance from the shooting range. A senior coach has raised concerns over the travelling time between the hotel and competition venue ahead of the shooting events.
“We didn’t get the bus and there was no food. Everything was closed at the airport. The welcome centre had no information, so we had to wait and reach the hotel around 4 am,” a team member of the shooting contingent told the Times of India.
PN Vishnu is a contributor with the LiveMint Sports team, where he primarily covers cricket, football and other major sporting events. A passionate sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, Vishnu has been an ardent follower of sports for more than 10 years. While he enjoys covering a wide range of disciplines, his biggest sporting passions remain cricket and football. He is also a devoted supporter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Manchester United in English football. <br><br> Vishnu pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, in 2016 and graduated in 2017. Since then, he has built an extensive career in sports journalism, working with leading media organisations including Deccan Chronicle and Firstpost. In 2025, he worked for CricXtasy for six months before joining LiveMint in February 2026. <br><br> Over the years, he has reported extensively on marquee sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL). His reporting has also provided opportunities to interact with some of the game's leading personalities, including India cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhruv Jurel. <br><br> Away from the newsroom, Vishnu enjoys unwinding with books, discovering new music and binge-watching television series.