Commentary by Manuel Silvério
Independent Analyst on Public Policy and Regional Development
(Former public administration official with international experience and longstanding involvement in public policy and sports development)
The presence of Emperor Naruhito at the opening ceremony of the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games continued the tradition of high-level institutional recognition that has long accompanied the Games. From Beijing and Busan to Hangzhou and Aichi-Nagoya, host cities have treated Asia’s largest multi-sport event at the highest level, reflecting the stature and importance the Asian Games have built over decades.
On the night of the opening ceremony, I was seated near the VIP area waiting for the Macau, China delegation to pass. A change of route meant that the delegation left before reaching our section. It was only a small episode. In the days that followed, however, as competition got under way, organisational and logistical issues raised more significant questions.
THE PRICE OF SAVING
Faced with the rising cost of major sporting events, Aichi-Nagoya sought to make greater use of existing facilities and avoid so-called “white elephants”. There is a clear rationale behind that approach.
These Games*, however, have no conventional Athletes’ Village. Around 17,000 athletes and officials are accommodated across hotels, temporary facilities and a cruise ship. The total was around 2,000 higher than originally anticipated, placing additional pressure on accommodation, transport and other services.
On September 26, Organising Committee Secretary-General Satoshi Murate publicly apologised for problems involving accommodation and transport, acknowledging that, whatever their causes, responsibility for providing those services rested with the organisers.
Four days later, on September 30, Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, serving as Acting Chairman of the Organising Committee, also apologised to affected athletes and officials. He acknowledged that situations had occurred which should not have happened, citing human error and insufficient communication with national teams, and said they required sincere reflection. Asked whether the difficulties were connected to budget reductions, he said it was not yet possible to draw a definitive conclusion. At the same time, he said he believed the Games as a whole were succeeding.
There were other incidents that prompted procedures to be reviewed. Before a men’s hockey match, the North Korean anthem was mistakenly played instead of South Korea’s, while transport errors also affected some teams.
None of this means that the principle of sustainability is wrong. Rather, it reminds us that reducing costs is not the same as reducing operational capacity. This is precisely where experienced people in organisation and management demonstrate their value.
Athletes do not need luxury. They need to sleep, eat, recover, travel and compete in good conditions. The real challenge is to find more rational ways of maintaining quality.
A CHANGING ASIAN LANDSCAPE
The Asian Games also reflect the transformation of Asia itself. Doha and Riyadh have been selected to host the next two editions, while the Olympic Council of Asia is moving towards adjusting the Asian Games cycle to align it more closely with the Olympic calendar and enable more Asian competitions to serve as Olympic qualifiers.
There is logic in this approach, but Asia has characteristics of its own. It is vast and diverse, encompassing very different sporting systems, competition calendars and cultural traditions.
Closer alignment with the international Olympic movement is important, but the Asian Games should not be designed solely around the Olympic Games. Sports such as wushu, kabaddi and sepak takraw are themselves part of the distinctive Asian identity of the Games.
FROM RESULTS TO SYSTEMS
Modern high-performance sport is profoundly international. Athletes train and compete abroad, while teams increasingly rely on the international exchange of coaches, knowledge and training methods.
During these Games, a comment heard in the Chinese mainland offered food for thought: Chinese basketball does not need a “narrative of hard work”.
Effort is indispensable and deserves respect. At the highest level, however, effort alone does not constitute a result.
Likewise, a single medal does not demonstrate the quality of an entire sporting system. The more important question is: what remains after the result?
Macau has again demonstrated its ability to compete at a high Asian level in sports such as wushu and karate. More important than a temporary position in the medal table is what lies behind those results: technical tradition, development within individual sports, continuity, systematic preparation and international exchange.
This reflection, however, should not focus on Macau alone. Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau possess different resources, experience and capabilities. The question is how these complementary strengths can be transformed into a stronger regional platform for sports development.
GREATER BAY AREA 2038
The competition for 2038 has already begun. Ahmedabad, India, has formally put itself forward.
I am not arguing today that the Greater Bay Area (GBA) should bid for the 2038 Asian Games. I am arguing that the possibility deserves serious study.
The Greater Bay Area already possesses many of the assets that a conventional host city would otherwise spend years developing: sports facilities, hotels, airports, high-speed rail, extensive transport networks and experience in staging major international events.
Guangdong offers scale and infrastructure. Hong Kong has strong international connections. Macau has substantial hotel capacity, extensive experience in tourism and major events, and distinctive conditions for connecting different cultures and markets.
The modern sports industry also encompasses broadcasting, digital production, technology, data, marketing, tourism, entertainment and management. Thinking of the Greater Bay Area as a whole could open the way to a new model for organising a major regional multi-sport event.
Ahmedabad has already moved. If the Greater Bay Area believes it has the conditions and ambition to host the Games, the time to study that possibility should not be after the hosting rights for 2038 have already been decided.
Naturally, an idea of this scale would require rigorous study of costs, governance, transport, cross-border arrangements, venues and the division of responsibilities. Studying a bid is not the same as making one. It means first establishing whether it makes sense.
Having seen models based on enormous investment, and now an Aichi-Nagoya edition characterised by more visible cost restraint, perhaps there is a third path: pursuing excellence with rationality.
PRESERVING THE STANDARD
As I write, the Asian Games are still under way. It would therefore be unfair to make a definitive assessment of Aichi-Nagoya.
Indeed, while acknowledging the problems on 30 September, Hirosawa also said that he believed the Games overall were succeeding. That balance matters. Recognising shortcomings does not mean dismissing everything that works, just as appreciating financial restraint does not require us to ignore the difficulties it may involve.
At this stage, however, Nagoya offers at least two points for reflection: saving money does not necessarily mean being efficient; making an effort does not necessarily mean making progress.
Asia has spent decades raising the standard of the Asian Games. The future does not require ever-increasing expenditure, nor a competition over who can build the most. Sustainability, financial rationality and organisational quality can coexist.
If the Greater Bay Area one day enters this discussion, perhaps that is precisely the balance it should seek: Games of high quality, financially rational, technologically advanced and genuinely Asian in character.
For the future of the Asian Games, the true measure will remain quality.
2038 is still some distance away. But perhaps it is no longer too early to start studying.
End Item
*Editor’s note: The author wrote the article when the Games, which concluded on Sunday, were still going on.
