Inadequate tournament operations by the organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are causing growing controversy in baseball as well.

These issues extend beyond the problems with accommodations, transportation, and training environments pointed out by numerous media outlets from various countries.

Players are also voicing complaints about basic hygiene and living services.

The organizing committee is not operating an athletes' village for this tournament.

Consequently, national baseball teams from various countries are staying together at a hotel in downtown Nagoya, Japan.

The problem is that basic living services are not being properly provided.

The laundry issue is particularly severe. A player from the South Korean national team stated, "Although the hotel offers laundry services, it takes several days to receive the laundry back," adding, "Due to the game schedule, uniform items could not be washed in time, so some players used coin laundromats themselves early in the tournament."

The baseball tournament features three consecutive days of group stage matches, followed by one day of rest, and then three consecutive days of Super Round and medal matches.

Uniforms soiled from training and games need to be washed daily, but the laundry services currently provided by the organizing committee make this difficult to keep up with.

Even so, the situation for the South Korean national team is relatively better.

Upon encountering the unexpected laundry issue, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) independently enlisted an external laundry service provider to resolve the problem.

An official from the KBO stated on the 23rd, "Players were provided with spare uniforms, but problems arose because they could not be washed on time," adding, "Fortunately, we contracted with a nearby company and took measures to ensure that the players could train and play games without any issues."

On the other hand, other teams that failed to secure a separate laundry provider are complaining of difficulties.

China Times reported, "After finishing their match against South Korea on the afternoon of the 21st, players on the Taiwan national team used coin laundromats to wash their own uniforms in preparation for the next day's game."

(Photo: Yonhap News)