Aichi Asian Games budget rises to ¥370 billion

Japan’s Aichi Prefecture expects to gain an economic boost and strengthen ties with other Asian countries by hosting the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya and surrounding areas. The official opening of the competition is scheduled for September 19, although football and basketball matches have already begun, Channel NewsAsia reports.

Representatives of 45 countries and territories are expected to take part in the competition, competing in 43 sports. These will be the 20th Asian Games and the third time Japan has hosted the tournament, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.

Budget triples

The Games’ budget has risen from the initially planned ¥100 billion to ¥370 billion, or about $2.38 billion. Aichi and Nagoya were awarded the right to host the competition in 2016.

Aichi Prefecture Governor Hideaki Omura named the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the biggest challenges. According to him, the budget was also affected by the historic weakening of the yen since 2021, geopolitical instability and rising global prices for resources, including oil.

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Record rainfall fell in Nagoya on September 8, forcing hundreds of athletes and staff to temporarily evacuate their accommodations.

Measures to reduce costs

To contain spending, the organizers abandoned plans to build a new athletes’ village. A cruise ship and a small village of mobile container homes will be used for accommodation. The Mizuho Stadium and the Aichi Prefectural IG Arena were built for the Games, while other venues already existed.

According to Omura, these decisions made it possible to reduce costs by ¥100 billion. He expects that the Asian Games and Asian Para Games together will bring together about 20,000 athletes and delegation members, as well as attract fans and other visitors.

The governor estimates the potential economic impact for Japan at ¥3.7 trillion, of which ¥1.8 trillion could go to Aichi. The prefecture is one of Japan’s key industrial centers: Toyota Motor Corporation operates there, and the Port of Nagoya is the country’s largest by cargo throughput.

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