During a regular press conference for ASIAD 2026 on 6/10, Governor Hideaki Omura directly addressed a social media post by a member of the Thai teqball team. The individual had complained about being served only rice, one vegetable dish, and one meat dish. The incident subsequently spread widely, drawing significant criticism for the ASIAD 2026 organizing committee.

However, Governor Omura affirmed that this information was incomplete. He explained that the International Teqball Federation was solely responsible for organizing all aspects, including food and accommodation, for participating delegations at ASIAD 2026. This point had already been clarified on 22/9, two days after the teqball competition concluded.

Aichi prefecture governor and head of the ASIAD 2026 organizing committee Hideaki Omura speaks at a press conference in Aichi, Japan on 4/10/2026, before the closing of the Asian Games. Photo: OCA

"Complaining with 'Is there nothing else to eat?' is too extreme," Omura said. "I wonder if these people came here just to seek attention. I do not know what you came here for, and it would be better if such people did not come in the first place."

The Aichi prefecture governor's statement immediately sparked public debate. One side argued that blaming issues outside the host's responsibility was unfair. The other side criticized Omura for undermining the prestige of an international event by using emotional language towards a foreign sports delegation in an official press conference. This was seen as contrary to Japan's Omotenashi culture of friendliness and hospitality.

A meal served at ASIAD 2026, posted by a member of the Thai teqball team on 19/9/2026. Photo: Teqball Thailand Inside

Teqball is a new sport, combining football and table tennis, where players use all body parts except their hands to send the ball to the opponent's side of the table. This sport was added to the list of official events in 2/2026 after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) accepted the request for its inclusion.

Despite the unfavorable conditions, Thailand still led with three gold medals. Myanmar ranked second with one gold, one silver, and one bronze, followed by South Korea with one gold.

Prior to this statement, ASIAD 2026 had encountered several image-damaging incidents, such as playing the wrong national anthem, flag-raising errors, insufficient transportation, and poorly equipped accommodation. These issues contradicted the expectations of most officials, athletes, and coaches from participating countries, especially given Japan's successful organization of the 2021 Olympics during the Covid-19 pandemic. Part of the reason cited was Japan's decision to select a French contractor for organization, instead of a domestic one as traditionally done, after corruption issues at the Olympics were exposed. A lack of experience and coordination among parties led to these errors.

Suphawadi Wongkhamchan (red shirt) and Phakbong Dejaroen defeated Nguyen Hoang Minh Tan and Trinh Gia Nghi of Vietnam 2-0 in the mixed doubles teqball semifinals at ASIAD 2026 in Highashi Sports Center, Nagoya, Japan on 19/9/2026. Photo: Teqball Association of Thailand

Hideaki Omura acknowledged that organizing a large-scale sporting event like ASIAD is a "huge challenge." "I sincerely regret causing inconvenience to the athletes. We have continuously improved and rectified the problems," said the governor, born in 1960.

Meanwhile, OCA Secretary General Hussein Al-Musallam expressed sympathy for the host. Al-Musallam believes that if athletes did not have proper food, rest, medical care, and transportation, ASIAD 2026 could not have recorded over 50 world records, more than 90 Asian records, and over 200 Asian Games records.

However, the OCA Secretary General also made a statement that was later widely ridiculed on social media. He claimed that out of over 100,000 transportation trips throughout the Asian Games, only one to two cases were delayed, representing 0,000001%. In reality, the corresponding rate is 0,001 to 0,002%, and incidents reported in the media were far more numerous.

ASIAD 2026 opened on 19/9 and closed on 4/10, with approximately 17,000 athletes, coaches, and officials, 7,000 reporters, over 5,000 technical officials, and 30,000 volunteers participating.

China led the overall medal tally with 169 gold, 89 silver, and 83 bronze medals. Japan ranked second with 83 gold, 95 silver, and 91 bronze medals. Vietnam ranked 20th, securing three gold, three silver, and 19 bronze medals.

Trung Thu (according to Mainichi Shimbun)