One relates to the difficulty of attracting cities to host future editions of the Games. This comes after Hanoi, the original choice for the 2019 edition, withdrew in April citing "economic pressures" leading to Indonesia being chosen as a replacement host, for a Games that will now take place in 2018 to avoid a clash with Presidential elections. Sri Lanka, the location for the 2017 Asian Youth Games, has also experienced organisational problems, with the event set to be shifted from Hambantota to capital city Colombo in order to take advantage of existing facilities.

As national economies continue to struggle and the demands required to prepare for major events grow, there are likely to be less and less willing volunteers. One possibility raised by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah is for Oceanic countries, including Australia and New Zealand, to participate in future editions of the Asian Games. They have already been given entry to the 2017 Indoor and Martial Arts Games, to be held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. 

This, I feel, would make the problem worse as well as better. Yes, it would provide new potential locations where the Asian Games could take place. But, with 63 countries competing instead of the current 45, it would also increase the infrastructural and financial demands on a host city even further.

Although it would increase the standard of the competition, this could also occur at the expense of some of the unique character I have described above.

Would powerful Oceanic nations like Australia, New Zealand and Fiji lessen the spectacle of sports like rugby sevens at the Asian Games? ©Getty Images



A second challenge relates to enticing the best players to come in an already packed annual sports programme.

Incheon 2014 has clashed with World Championship events in many other sports - including volleyball, cycling, gymnastics and basketball - leading to some of the top players not being here. We also had a ridiculous situation in tennis when the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) threatened to fine and ban leading male players if they opted to compete in the singles here rather than their China Open event starting in Beijing today.

It is worth saying, however, that these examples are the extremes, and most of the finest stars are here.

A third problem, more specific to Incheon, is the lack of impact and interest here. Most local journalists I have spoken to think there has been little benefit for the local community, with this shown by the large number of empty seats at virtually all the venues. This may be true, but if the atmosphere at the baseball final last night between South Korea and Taiwan is anything to go by, there is certainly some substantial support, in certain bits of it at least.

From our perspective as journalists, there have been the usual problems. Irregular transport, archaic rules and, surprisingly, considering our location, dodgy internet connections.

But these are only minor complaints and, generally, everything has been great, with last night providing a great example of this for me. I walked out of the Munhak Baseball Stadium to find a sea of security guards and flag-waving fans and, about to walk onto the nearest bus, I noticed that it seemed to be the focus of attention and eventually surmised it was not, as I had presumed, media transport, but the South Korean team coach.

The media buses, as it turned out, were nowhere to be seem, and with the hour late and all other journalists seemingly long since gone home, I was getting slightly worried.

But then an Incheon 2014 worker suddenly pulled up in his car and offered me a lift home. After much gesticulating and attempted discussion, and a phone-call to the Media Centre to translate, we worked out directions and he took me back, telling me the name of every English footballer he knew before insisting I was dropped precisely outside the entrance so I was home safely.

It was a spontaneous act of kindness that was great to see.

This followed a baseball final that was thrilling and exciting from start to finish ©Getty Images



So this is why I think the Games mean more than empty seats and long term legacies, and despite these challenges, they have a charm and uniqueness that should be sustained at all costs. 

And as the cricket bubbles to a conclusion with South Korea holding off China in the final over, despite some more farcical fielding, the fact that the match is being played in front of a virtually empty ground is almost insignificant. More important is the fact that so much exciting sport is happening, and interesting experiences are being generated.

Speaking this morning when asked what the real legacy of the Games is, OCA director general Husain Al-Mussalum said it was if a player "enjoyed their time here and enjoyed Incheon".

I think he got it about right, and this applies for fans, officials and journalists as well.

Nick Butler is a reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.