The Aichi‑Nagoya Asian Games open this weekend amid a severe housing shortage that has forced organisers to scramble to accommodate athletes and officials from participating nations.
The event is already mired in complaints about accommodation options for athletes travelling to Japan, after the host nation opted not to construct a dedicated Games village for the estimated 17,000 competitors and officials.
Why are the Asian Games facing an accommodation crisis?
The official housing committee said the shortfall emerged because they originally expected 15,000 athletes and officials, but the roster grew after new sports were added to the programme.
This year’s Games feature several newcomers, including mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, virtual taekwondo and teqball, a hybrid of football and table tennis.
Chief organiser Hideaki Omura, who also serves as governor of Aichi prefecture, said efforts are being made to ensure athletes are comfortable.
“If there are different opinions, then we will respond to them appropriately,” Omura told the AFP news agency. “At this point, while we are responding to individual opinions, we have been improving everything as issues arise, and we will continue to respond that way.”
He added that a committee of former athletes, including Olympians, gave a favourable assessment of the temporary huts built for this year’s edition.
“We explained everything to them and had them take a look around, and they said it looked functional and good,” he said.
Where will the Asian Games athletes stay?
Alternative housing options range from a cruise liner and wooden containers to hotel rooms.
On Tuesday, the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which will host 4,000 athletes and officials, arrived in Nagoya.
The shipping‑container‑style huts in the dock area of Japan’s biggest port will accommodate another 2,000 athletes and officials.
Japan’s deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori told a news conference that athletes have been undergoing entry procedures since the cruise‑ship village opened a day earlier.
“There have been cases where coaches, team officials and athletes have been assigned to the same room. There are also situations where room assignments were made purely based on the numbers, such as assigning five twin rooms for a group of five men and five women,” Mizutori said.
“While the numbers match on paper, practically it creates challenging situations such as men and women being assigned together, coaches being assigned with athletes, or trainers who need to accommodate a lot of medical equipment being assigned together.”
He added that the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) had anticipated accommodation “challenges” and secured hotels in the city as a backup.
“We are currently working to coordinate and negotiate adjustments wherever possible. For cases where that proves too difficult, we are considering using the backup accommodations that Team Japan prepared in advance as alternatives.”
Why are participating nations and athletes complaining about the accommodation?
Jung Jae‑yong, vice president of the Korea Basketball Association (KBA), slammed the cabins hosting the men’s basketball team.
“Athletes who are over two metres tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It’s unreasonable,” he said.
Jung also accused the organisers of failing to respond to South Korea’s concerns about the housing options.
“The organisers have still not said anything,” he added, noting that his side is “very concerned and discussing extensively with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee what to do about this.”
Basketball player Byeon Jun‑hyeong posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and a soaked floor in his hut, captioned “Please help us.”
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said that while all his athletes had been given a room, “some officials, like coaches, were moved to different hotels and Airbnb”.
Why will cricketers get the best accommodation at the Asian Games?
Head of Japan’s cricket association, Naoki Alex Miyaji, said in early September that cricket would receive better accommodation than other sports.
According to Miyaji, the cricket tournament is being run by the Asian Games organising committee in collaboration with the Asian Cricket Council.
He said the two bodies had been discussing accommodation options “for a long time”.
“The participating teams in cricket are being offered hotel accommodation,” Miyaji said. “Many other sports are being accommodated in much more limited facilities, such as a cruise ship or container hotels.”
What other issues have hit the Asian Games?
While the opening ceremony has yet to take place, several events such as basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon have already begun.
Tropical Storm Dujuan was located off Japan’s Pacific coast as of 03:00 GMT on Thursday and heading northwest toward central Japan, where Nagoya lies.
Last week, torrential rains hit Nagoya and surrounding areas, forcing schools to close and train services to be suspended. Several hundred athletes were also forced to leave their accommodation.
Kosei Inoue, Japan’s chef de mission for the Games and a senior executive board member of the JOC, said at a news conference on Thursday that some competitions have already experienced “delays or postponements, and there is also a possibility that a typhoon could approach on September 21”.
“Under these circumstances, we are holding thorough meetings within the JOC to ensure that we are fully prepared and capable of responding appropriately to these situations.”
