Asian Games athletes to stay on cruise ship, in wooden huts for ‘unique experience’
Half of the 15,000 athletes and officials will live in the temporary quarters during the Games, which start in Aichi-Nagoya on September 19
Athletes at the Asian Games in Japan will have “a unique experience” staying on a cruise ship and in wooden containers, an organising official has said six months out from the event, while acknowledging there were concerns about the plan.
About half of the expected 15,000 athletes and officials will live in the eye-catching temporary accommodation during the Games, which are in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4, coinciding with typhoon season in Japan.
The rest will stay in hotels, including in Tokyo, where the swimming, diving and equestrian events are taking place.
Organisers said using the cruise ship and container units was cheaper than building a traditional athletes’ village, although they admitted that the unusual approach has raised eyebrows.
Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the Aichi-Nagoya Games organising committee, said the accommodation would offer “an experience that’s difficult to come by”.
“If people were going to live there long-term, that would be a different story,” he said.