Nagoya: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Friday rejected mounting criticism regarding operational difficulties ahead of the Asian Games, asserting that multi-sport competitions routinely encounter such hurdles and warning that attempts to "politicise" or "exploit" the issues on social media would fail.

Speaking at a news conference on the eve of the Games' opening ceremony, 2026 Asian Games Coordination Committee Chairman Tayyab Ikram sought to play down the ongoing disputes as temporary setbacks.

Shortages of housing at the event have drawn international media attention, with lengthy hotel check-in procedures and extended commute times to training venues creating friction for host nation Japan.

"There are certain things which we can see in different media and different feedbacks ... we strongly condemn this ... any attempt to politicise our sporting event which is for athletes. That is something we would like to prevent," Ikram said.

"... people are trying to come up with concerns in everything, but which Games don't have challenges? The important thing is what kind of response is there. Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee response has been extraordinary, but OCA and ANAGOC will not allow (anyone) to politicise the Games," he added.

"I don't want to mention the names, but there are certain concerns which are being exploited on social media. We continue to be positive," said the official, who also serves as president of the International Hockey Federation.

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He did not specify who he believed was driving the political commentary surrounding the event, which has also drawn complaints from Indian participants regarding cramped quarters and delays.

On Friday, a Chinese world champion gymnast reported feeling "totally exhausted" following an accommodation registration process that exceeded six hours.

Zhang, a two-time silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics and holder of two world championship titles, subsequently booked a local hotel room to rest, according to regional media reports.

State news agency Xinhua reported that staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Nagoya assisted Chinese badminton players in securing private transport through local community networks.

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The hashtag "Asian Games absurd" has since amassed more than 94 million views on the social media platform Weibo, according to the Japan Times.

Adding to the tensions, South Korea's Olympic Committee confirmed on Friday that it had lodged a formal complaint with organisers after a historical Japanese military figure was featured during a team reception.

The event on Tuesday included an actor portraying Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who led Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598, drawing widespread criticism in South Korea, the Japan Times reported.

OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam declared that room allocations for athletes and team officials were complete, maintaining that all operational concerns had been addressed.

"Every athlete, every official, every coach have an accommodation. There is no single accredited person without accommodation. And they have all other logistics," he said.

The Asian Games have expanded significantly over recent cycles, with athlete numbers across the 45 participating nations now surpassing those of the Summer Olympics. Al Musallam noted that in addition to more than 17,000 competitors and support personnel, roughly 5,000 technical officials are present to manage the sports programme.

"Asian Games cannot be compared with events of any other continental federations," he said.

Asked whether constructing a dedicated Athletes' Village would have prevented the housing disputes, Al Musallam defended the current strategy.

"First of all, we wish we have an Athletes Village, but we also have to be flexible. We also have to think about the cost of the Games. We need to listen to organisers, how they look for the future after the Games. It's very easy to insist on Athletes Village; you spent such amount of money to build it, and then we need to see what's going to happen after the Games," he said.

"Yes, an Athletes Village with a five-star (rating) is good, but at the end of the day we need to be practical."

Addressing the expanding scope of the Games, Al Musallam opposed placing restrictions on athlete entry numbers.

"You cannot just talk about athletes and then put restriction or obstacle on their participation. I am supportive of the increase in the number of athletes, not decrease the athletes to support the sport. Because now with the current political crisis and conflicts in Asia and around the world, we need sport, the world needs sport at this moment more than anything else," he said.

He also defended the deployment of wooden container-style housing units for the Aichi-Nagoya Games, which some athletes have described as cramped.

"The container-style accommodations were meant to reduce cost and also for sustainability. May be this may lead to smaller countries being able to host the Games at a reduced cost in the future," he reasoned.

Ikram confirmed that future editions in Doha (2030) and Riyadh (2034) will feature purpose-built Athletes' Villages.

"For the next two Games, we are already having the Athletes Village. Doha has already inaugurated the Athletes Village. But the OCA will not have a very blind approach that we should have an Athletes Village. We have to take care of the legacy of that Village," Ikram said.

PTI