Nagoya’s municipal authorities issued a formal apology on Wednesday to international delegations and athletes taking part in the Asian Games over a series of organisational problems reported during the event.
Nagoya Mayor and acting head of the local organising committee Ichiro Hirosawa acknowledged a number of human errors and communication failures with national teams, which triggered complaints and frustration among participants.
The problems included shortages in accommodation, disruptions to athlete transportation, delayed or missing buses, and vehicles being sent to the wrong sporting venues. Organisers had also previously apologised to South Korea after the North Korean national anthem was mistakenly played.
The Iraqi delegation was also affected, with weightlifter Ali Ammar Yasser denied the opportunity to make his third and final attempt in the men’s +110kg competition, prompting a protest from the Iraqi technical staff.
According to the athlete’s father and coach, organisers initially displayed the Iranian flag on the main screen and started the preparation countdown before replacing it with the Iraqi flag while the countdown continued. The incident allegedly left the Iraqi lifter without enough time to reach the platform, resulting in a technical failure being recorded and his final attempt being ruled out.
Ali Ammar finished with a total of 465kg, just one kilogram behind Iran’s Ali Davoudi, who won gold with 466kg. Despite missing out on the gold medal, the Iraqi lifter achieved a notable feat by breaking the world record in the snatch with a lift of 219kg, while the circumstances surrounding his final attempt raised further questions over the organisation of the Games.
