The hosts of the upcoming Asian Games in Japan have informed athletes they must "make their own arrangements" for accommodation. This follows a shortage of rooms for the event, which is scheduled to take place in the Nagoya and Aichi region from 19 September to 4 October.
Initially, 15,000 athletes and officials were anticipated to attend. However, the Olympic Council of Asia confirmed last week that the number would be closer to 17,000 after teqball and padel were added to the Games earlier this year.
Ichiro Hirosawa, the mayor of Nagoya and acting chairman of the local organising committee, stated it was "difficult to accommodate this number" due to the Games "operating on a tight budget." Hideaki Omura, president of the organising committee, added that the hosts lack "neither the manpower nor the budget to make the necessary arrangements" for the increased number of athletes.
Omura explained that the host city agreement specified a delegation of 15,000 people, and a budget was not set aside for more. Organisers have opted for temporary accommodation, with 4,000 to 5,000 athletes staying on the cruise ship Costa Serena and 2,000 in shipping container-style huts. Other athletes and officials will be housed in hotels in Tokyo, where swimming, diving, and equestrian events are planned.