Accommodation at the Asian Games in Japan has been described as the “worst ever” by South Korean officials, who have also warned of a “serious shortage” of rooms.
The Games in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture officially open on Saturday, although football and basketball competitions are already under way.
There is no dedicated athletes’ village for the Games. Instead, organisers are relying on a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins and hotels as part of efforts to reduce costs.
Complaints over cramped cabins
Beds in the shipping container-style cabins are reportedly too short for some athletes to stretch out, with a South Korean basketball official expressing deep dissatisfaction with the accommodation.
Jung Jae-yong, vice-president of the Korea Basketball Association, told AFP that the cabins housing the men’s basketball team were unacceptable.
“Based on my experience this is the worst it has ever been,” he said.
“Athletes who are over two metres tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It’s unreasonable.”
South Korean basketball player Byeon Jun-hyeong also posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and a soaked floor inside his hut.
He accompanied the video with the caption, “Please help us”.
The temporary huts are expected to accommodate 2,000 athletes and officials during the more than two weeks of the Games.
Indian sports officials are also concerned about the cabins and have built replicas to help their athletes become familiar with the accommodation.
Jung said organisers had yet to respond to South Korea’s concerns.
“The organisers have still not said anything,” he said.
“We are very concerned and discussing extensively with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee what to do about this.”
Hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation last week after record rainfall hit Nagoya.
More rain has been forecast in the coming days.
‘Serious shortage’ of accommodation
More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to attend the Games, exceeding the number at the Olympics.
Local organisers had initially expected about 15,000 people and said last month that they had “neither the manpower nor the budget” to cope with the rising numbers.
The Olympic Council of Asia later said everyone would be provided with accommodation.
Concerns have also been raised over the availability of high-quality hotels, with star cricketers among those expressing fears about a shortage.
A South Korean Olympic committee official told AFP that accommodation remained a problem just days before the Games.
“At the moment there is a serious shortage of accommodation not only for the entire South Korean delegation to the Asian Games, but for delegations from around the world in the Aichi-Nagoya area,” the official said.
“We are doing everything we can to resolve the issue and ensure there are no such problems.”
Officials moved to hotels and Airbnb
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino told AFP that all Filipino athletes had been provided with rooms.
However, “some officials, like coaches, were moved to different hotels and Airbnb”.
Asian Games organisers did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena is scheduled to arrive in Nagoya on Tuesday, with between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes expected to stay on board.
The remaining participants will be accommodated in hotels, including in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will be held.
