A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned.
According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding.
Asked whether the arena will be ready in time for the Asian Games, a city spokesperson commented, "We can't forecast when it will reopen until we have done a thorough examination." Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena was built in 2008. Renovation work ahead of the Asian Games was finished last December, and the arena re-opened for use on Jan. 4.
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translated by Brett Larner
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