Record Nagoya rainfall forces Asian Games athletes to evacuate
Hundreds of athletes preparing for the Asian Games were moved from their accommodation on Tuesday after record rainfall struck the host city, although organisers said the Games remain on track to open as planned.
About 104 millimetres of rain fell on Nagoya in a single hour, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue its highest flood warning for a major river running through the city. Subway and bus services were suspended for several hours, and municipal officials ordered residents in low-lying areas to seek higher ground.
Roughly 400 athletes and staff staying in converted shipping containers at the Port of Nagoya’s Garden Wharf were among those evacuated, according to Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa. The temporary units form part of an unconventional housing plan for this year’s Games, which has no single dedicated athletes’ village and instead spreads competitors across a cruise ship, container units and hotels across the surrounding prefecture.
名古屋市では9月8日、記録的な豪雨により植田川が氾濫し、車が流されるなど甚大な被害が発生しています。
— ParsToday Japanese (@ParsTodayja) September 8, 2026
気象庁は午後4時、愛知県西部と岐阜県美濃地方で線状降水帯が発生したと発表。名古屋市付近では午後4時20分までの1時間に約100ミリの猛烈な雨が降ったとみられます。#名古屋豪雨 #線状降水帯 pic.twitter.com/EveKBq0wzw
Asian Games organisers insist venues are safe
Athletes were taken to safety and allowed to return roughly two hours after the evacuation order was issued, Hirosawa told reporters on Wednesday. He said early inspections found no serious damage to competition venues, despite reports that rainwater had seeped into some sites.
«We are not worried about the conditions of the venues and we believe there is no problem holding the Asian Games as planned,» Hirosawa said.
More than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions are due to compete at the Games, which open with a ceremony on 19 September and run through 4 October. Basketball, one of the events scheduled to begin before the formal opening, will get under way on Thursday.
タイタニックみたい。
— Yoshioo⚽️🏇（株） (@the_yoshioo) September 8, 2026
地下にいる方避難してください。#名古屋豪雨#線状降水帯 pic.twitter.com/cqVEMopaqK
Forecasters warn of more showers
Nagoya officials cautioned that additional wet weather is expected in the coming days, keeping flood risks elevated as final preparations continue. The city urged residents and visitors to remain alert to rising river levels and standing water in underpasses.
Scientists have linked the growing frequency and severity of such downpours in Japan to human-induced climate change, which adds pressure on organisers of major outdoor events to plan for extreme weather with little notice.
🚨🇯🇵 BREAKING: Extreme flooding hits Nagoya as record rain lashes #Japan.
— Eyes on the Globe (@eyes_globe) September 8, 2026
104.5 mm fell in just one hour — the highest hourly rainfall recorded since 1890.#名古屋豪雨 #ゲリラ豪雨 #NagoyaCity pic.twitter.com/271jhyg2u0
Organisers had already faced scrutiny over the decision to forgo a purpose-built athletes’ village in favour of the temporary housing arrangement, which is now facing its first real test just over a week before competition formally begins.
