Disabled volunteers call for improved accessibility at Asian Para Games

From Kyodo

October 21 2026

NAGOYA – There have been calls for the organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games to improve accessibility for disabled volunteers, following criticism that insufficient consideration was given to those volunteering at the Asian Games.

Over 100 disabled individuals have volunteered for either the Asian Games, which concluded on Oct. 4, or the Asian Para Games, according to the organizing committee.

Sachiko Matsuki, 46, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa that narrows her field of vision, previously volunteered at international events including the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. At the Asian Games, she guided the Pakistani delegation to its bus stop and arranged taxis.

While Matsuki uses a white cane, some roads were insufficiently paved and some passageways lacked lighting at night. She also saw wheelchair users unable to pass through entrances to rooms used for administrative work because of numerous steps.

The organizing committee trained staff on barrier-free access and accessibility from about two years prior to the event but acknowledged that information about disabilities had not reached all staff.

“Volunteering should be an activity that anyone can take part in, and we need to create that environment,” an official stressed, adding organizers intend to apply lessons from the Asian Games and place greater emphasis on accessibility at the Para Games.

At the Asian Para Games, which opened Sunday and will run through Oct. 24, Matsuki will work at a service center providing delegations with travel guidance and responding to inquiries. She said she checked the facility housing the center to ensure it posed no obstacles for visually impaired people or wheelchair users.

“I hope this event will give people who volunteer an opportunity to understand disabilities,” Matsuki said, adding she wants to “demonstrate that people with disabilities can play an active role in supporting international events.”