Concerns and controversies at the 2014 Asian Games
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A number of concerns and controversies surfaced before, during and after the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Sponsorship and organization
The Games were hit by lack of sponsorship and a lack of interest from the public with only 18% of the tickets for the opening ceremony sold a week before the Games. Sales of tickets for rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae and badminton star Lee Yong-dae's events were fast, while sales for the football competition were just seven percent and athletics eight percent.[1] Organizers were able to generate more interest but there were a few hundred empty seats in the 61,000-capacity stadium at the start of the opening ceremony.[2] There was a shortage of free shuttles provided for journalists and athletes in the days leading up to the Games.[3] Organizers supplied more shuttle buses for the late-night shifts at the request of various international media organizations.[4]
When the identity of the final torch bearer was revealed to be the actress Lee Young-ae, there were mixed reactions in the local press as she had no direct ties to sports. However, she ultimately passed the torch to a pair of young South Korean athletes and the three lighted the cauldron in unison.[5]
Nationality issues
In basketball, Olympic Council of Asia's eligibility rule on naturalized players, which contradicted the eligibility rule set by FIBA, became controversial as such rule disqualified Quincy Davis, a US-born player playing for the Chinese Taipei team, and Andray Blatche, a naturalized player of the Philippines, from participating in the tournament.[6] In accordance with the rule, OCA also refused South Korea's request to include Aaron Haynes in the squad, an American veteran player in Korea's basketball league who was in the process of naturalization.[7] Both OCA officials and IAGOC claimed that the OCA's eligibility rule requires a naturalized player to live minimum of three years in the country of his naturalization before becoming eligible to play for that country.[8] Nevertheless, Chinese Taipei Basketball Association stated that it received the positive confirmation from OCA regarding the participation of Quincy Davis, which was suddenly overturned due to the fact that Davis was two months short from residing three full years in Chinese Taipei. Many basketball fans argued that the host nation South Korea brought up the regulation rule at the last minute in order to not allow enough time for its major opponents to reconstruct their squads. Meanwhile, South Korea claimed it was just enforcing the OCA's regulation and the South Korean team themselves were also negatively affected by the rule.[6][7] Despite the request of FIBA to reconsider the enforcement of the eligibility rule, both OCA and the organizing committee upheld their decision.[9]
Female participants and FIBA ban on hijab
Saudi Arabia was the only participating NOC to not send female athletes to the Games despite international pressure from organizations including the Human Rights Watch. The country was accused of taking a step backwards from the 2012 Summer Olympics, the first time in Olympics history that Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on female participation.[10] Mohammed al-Mishal, the secretary-general of Saudi Arabia's Olympic Committee, stated that women weren't included because none have reached the level for international competition.[11] A member of the Saudi Olympic committee later stated that the country plans to send women to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[12]
Qatar women's basketball team was hit by FIBA ban on Muslim headscarf, known as hijab. They were scheduled to play Mongolia but were disallowed. The team eventually withdrew from the tournament, refusing to remove the hijab.[13] FIBA claimed the ban was made due to safety concerns.[14] Qatar officials said the decision was insulting, disrespectful of the religion, and nonsensical as combat sports allow the hijab.[15] One player stated that they had been assured well before the Games that they would be able to wear hijab.[16]
Cycling venue
In cycling, Hong Kong cyclists had raised concerns after they found the competition venue would be an outdoor velodrome of 333 metres in length, instead of a 250 metres indoor velodrome, which is commonly in use during the Olympic Games and the World Cup. Hong Kong Cycling Association claimed that outdoor velodromes are rare in modern cycling and they have to travel far to practice in a similar environment.[17] The organising committee denied any advantage to the host nation. They also claimed that the track was re-coated and received approval from Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).[18]
Opening ceremony programme
The 2014 Asian Games opening ceremony was criticised by local media for featuring more celebrities and K-pop stars than sports figures, failing to display the legacy of the event or Incheon city's culture and abasing the sports stars' presence at the event. Despite executive director Jang Jin's promise that the main characters ― Jang Dong-gun and Kim Soo-hyun would have the roles of storytellers, their presence was overshadowed by the performances of boy band JYJ and singer Psy.[19]