Do you have the same feeling? In recent years, public interest in international events like the Olympics and World Expos has clearly declined. Or rather, people are more focused on the organizers' amateurish mishaps than on the actual content of the events.
At last year's Osaka Expo, aside from the mascot with a distinct Cthulhu vibe, the most viral incident—sorry, I mean event—was undoubtedly "the venue collapsed before the event even started."
And at the Paris Olympics two years ago, whether it was the cameo appearance of a blue-skinned demon from Journey to the West in the opening ceremony or the controversy over severely polluted water in the Seine River, each incident was more shocking than the last.
Additionally, since the Paris Olympics took place in 2024, coinciding with the viral meme of the DJ remix of "If You Were Here in Winter" (General's Little Tune), the massive blunder at the opening ceremony—where the host mistakenly referred to South Korea as North Korea—now seems to have taken on a different kind of significance...
Logically, given the sensitive incidents at the Paris Olympics, future international event organizers should have learned their lessons to avoid repeating such mistakes. However, with the recent hosting of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan, people realized that Paris's mistake of "calling South Korea North Korea" was hardly a big deal in comparison.
In comparison, playing the North Korean national anthem in front of South Korean athletes was even more egregious.
On September 18, during the men's field hockey Group A match between South Korea and Bangladesh, both sides followed convention by holding pre-match ceremonies, including playing national anthems and exchanging greetings. However, during the segment for the South Korean national anthem, the venue inexplicably played the North Korean national anthem instead. Most South Korean athletes, realizing something was wrong, displayed awkward and bewildered expressions.
The reason I say "most" is because some members of the South Korean team, upon hearing the North Korean national anthem, still placed their right hands over their hearts and stood at attention solemnly. In particular, the goalkeeper at the end of the line displayed a remarkably determined expression...
Speaking seriously, the South Korean athletes may have raised their hands in greeting because they mistakenly thought it was the Bangladeshi national anthem, or perhaps to maintain basic decency and respect in an international setting. But faced with such a situation, people couldn't help but indulge in some dark humor about "North-South confusion."
In post-incident analyses, some suggested this might have happened because the national anthems of North and South Korea share the same title, "Aegukga" (Song of Patriotism), and the venue staff confused them during preparations. Regardless, this is not the kind of mistake that should occur at such a large-scale international event.
Starting from this hellishly absurd mix-up and "following the clues," people were surprised to discover that this Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games featured numerous major blunders, each one significant enough to make you wonder, "Are they deliberately targeting South Korea?"
For instance, before the opening ceremony, the organizers held a performance themed around famous historical figures from Aichi Prefecture to welcome the participating teams.
The problem is, among these historical figures was one very familiar name: Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Besides nearly unifying Japan at the end of the Sengoku period, his other famous deed was launching the Imjin War against Korea.
While I understand Aichi Prefecture's desire to promote its historical heritage, promoting this particular historical figure right in front of the South Korean team was akin to "casting an ultimate ability point-blank."
For another example, before the group stage match between the South Korea U23 and Qatar U23 men's football teams, the shuttle bus arranged by the organizers went to the wrong destination, dropping both teams off at a nearby baseball stadium, causing them to be half an hour late.
Similarly, in basketball, the bus scheduled to pick up the South Korean basketball team simply never showed up, severely disrupting their training schedule.
Although the South Korean delegation has often faced questions regarding sportsmanship, facing these heavyweight blunders at this Asian Games—I have to say, I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for them.
In fact, besides South Korea, delegations from other countries also faced numerous issues at this Asian Games. Judging from posts by athletes on social media, they couldn't even secure basic living conditions. Considering that "clothing" was provided by the delegations themselves, the main problems lay in "food," "accommodation," and "transportation."
Before the Asian Games officially began, a Japanese journalist tried out the meals provided at the Asian Games cafeteria. Based on her report, the cafeteria offered a wide variety of food, and the quality seemed decent.
If there was any issue, it was probably that the cafeteria at this Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games wasn't self-service; instead, athletes had to get their meals from staff at each window. In the video, the hesitant manner in which the cafeteria staff placed two chicken wings on the female reporter's plate gave off a somewhat ominous vibe.
And after the Asian Games officially began, this detail from the video was "paid off."
According to posts by Thai athletes on X, the set meals they received at the Asian Games cafeteria not only looked significantly different from those in the promotional videos but were also quite small in portion—strictly speaking, a typical person's diet meal might even be larger.
Clearly, the "single-serving set meals" provided by the Asian Games cafeteria were completely insufficient to meet the energy needs of an adult athlete per meal. As athletes from various countries gradually realized something was wrong, they began to miss the cafeteria at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago...
As for "accommodation," the problems were even more numerous.
For instance, after the Thai Sepak Takraw team arrived, the organizers forgot to enter their accommodation information, leaving them without rooms. They were stranded for 24 hours in the lobby of their designated accommodation, the Costa Serena cruise ship, and had to sleep on the floor.
Then again, although the hospitality was lacking, the Thai Sepak Takraw team at least stayed on a proper cruise ship. In contrast, some other participating teams weren't so lucky.
During the planning stages of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the organizers explicitly stated that building an Athletes' Village that would sit empty after the event was a serious waste. Therefore, they planned to abolish this system entirely starting with this edition, suggesting that everyone should just stay in commercial hotels upon arriving in Aichi Prefecture—such as the Costa Serena cruise ship where the Thai team stayed, as mentioned earlier.
But after this "fragmentation" plan was announced, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) objected again. They felt that if things were done this way, how could athletes from different countries interact and uphold the Olympic spirit of "friendship first, competition second"?
Thus, after continuous back-and-forth negotiations, a compromise solution emerged—one that could save money while still keeping athletes together—
In the form of construction site container housing.
Yes, for this Asian Games, the organizers created a "Pinduoduo version of the Athletes' Village" by converting shipping containers into housing near the port, supplemented by the docked Costa Serena cruise ship.
As for the actual effect... I'll just show you the pictures directly.
Moreover, these container housing units were not only unsightly but also performed poorly, fully living up to our first impressions. After moving in, the South Korean basketball team quickly discovered that the accommodation area was so cramped that tall basketball players could only sleep with their legs bent. The eco-friendly cardboard beds, which were heavily criticized during the Tokyo Olympics, made a classic comeback.
The image of the cardboard bed comes from a Singaporean athlete's post, but the setup inside the containers is identical.
Not to mention, when it rained, the rooms would leak, making it seem like the containers were turning into aquariums.
In response, the South Korean basketball players could only describe their situation with two thought-provoking words:
Help me.
Finally, regarding transportation, the various issues mentioned earlier, such as bus delays and being dropped off at the wrong locations, basically cover the problems in this area. But there's one more photo I absolutely must share, or I'll feel terrible:
What does it mean that it's already 2026, and drivers are still using paper maps for navigation?
When Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City first bid for the Asian Games in 2016, their initial estimated budget was 85 billion yen. However, by the end of last year, the officially announced expenses had skyrocketed to 298 billion yen. Frankly speaking, whether such a bloated budget is justified by the living conditions provided to athletes is a major question. But this is likely something even Aichi Prefecture itself can't figure out, let alone us outsiders.
Regardless, this less-than-satisfactory Asian Games must continue. As athletes begin ordering takeout for themselves and paying out-of-pocket to move into hotels, the situation seems to be gradually improving.
Perhaps, the remaining schedule will gradually get back on track...
That's what I originally thought, until I saw today that the organizers even got the table tennis scores wrong.
Then, I had an unrealistic thought:
Could it be that these outrageous incidents are also part of the organizers' promotional strategy?