Asian Games Organisers Urge Athletes to Arrange Housing

The Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Nagoya and the Aichi region from September 19 to October 4, 2023, are facing an accommodation crisis as the number of expected participants has risen to nearly 17,000, exceeding the initial estimate of 15,000. This increase is attributed to the inclusion of teqball and padel in the Games programme.

Ichiro Hirosawa, the Mayor of Nagoya and acting chairman of the local organising committee, stated that accommodating the additional participants would be challenging due to budget constraints. Aichi Governor and organising committee president Hideaki Omura confirmed that the host city agreement only covered 15,000 participants and no extra funds were allocated for the additional athletes and officials.

He emphasized that the organising committee lacks the manpower and budget to accommodate more than the agreed number. Athletes will be housed in a mix of temporary accommodations, including the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena and shipping container-style huts, with others staying in hotels in Tokyo.