A Games still without the buzz

A WEEK into the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, public enthusiasm appears muted, with swathes of empty seats greeting athletes across several key venues in Japan’s first major multi-sport event since the pandemic-hit Tokyo Olympics.

Sections of Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium were empty during the opening ceremony on Sept 19, although the Olympic Council of Asia attributed some of the vacant seats to warnings of an approaching typhoon.