On September 17, the women's cricket quarterfinal between Bangladesh and China was canceled due to water accumulation on the field, preventing any play. The Chinese team, ranked 42nd in the world, was automatically disqualified after losing to 10th-ranked Bangladesh, leading to tears among players upon hearing the news. This was their first match in the Asian Games after a 12-year absence.
On September 28 and 29, all four men's quarterfinal matches scheduled at Gorogic Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture were canceled for two consecutive days due to rain. The venue, originally a baseball field, faced drainage issues that made it difficult for the ground to dry. With no reserve days, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh advanced to the semifinals based solely on their rankings, while Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Nepal, and Malaysia were eliminated from the quarterfinals without playing a match.
India won the men's final at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (held in 2023) in a similar manner, highlighting that weather has previously determined outcomes in cricket.
This issue was not limited to cricket. The baseball regulations stated that if the Super Round or final was interrupted by rain and could not be completed, the remaining games would proceed to determine the champion, but specific criteria were not outlined. Following South Korea's 5-0 loss to Japan, concerns arose on September 26 about potentially settling for a silver medal if the Super Round match against China was canceled due to rain, yet the organizing committee did not provide clear criteria. Fortunately, the match proceeded as scheduled, and South Korea defeated Japan 3-1 on September 27, securing their fifth consecutive gold medal.
Other international competitions have handled such situations differently. The Cricket World Cup employs the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method to recalculate target scores based on remaining overs, and reserve days are included in tournament stages. In 2019, the Rugby World Cup declared matches canceled due to a typhoon as draws, following prior announcements. In February, ski jumping at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics awarded medals based on actual scores from completed rounds after heavy snowfall interrupted the event.
On September 8, just ten days before the opening, Nagoya experienced rainfall of 104.5 mm per hour, the highest recorded since observations began in 1890. Despite this, there were no reserve days for cricket and baseball schedules.
The lack of reserve days for cricket and baseball was not the only issue. This Asian Games faced widespread criticism for poor management, including not constructing a new athletes' village and repeated bus scheduling problems.
The men's cricket semifinals on October 1 will feature India against Sri Lanka and Pakistan against Bangladesh. If the final on October 3 cannot be held due to rain, both teams will be awarded joint gold medals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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