'Athletes experienced to stay in containers': Kamal on Asiad accommodation challenge

India's Sharath Kamal Achanta (AP/PTI)

India’s deputy chef-de-mission for the Asian Games, Achanta Sharath Kamal, believes Indian athletes will have little trouble adjusting to the unusual accommodation arrangements at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, despite concerns raised by some participating countries.India’s 501 athletes and 265 officials will stay in a mix of converted shipping containers, a docked cruise ship and hotels when the Games begin on September 19. While the container rooms have been criticised as cramped, Sharath said Indian athletes have already had some experience of staying in similar facilities.

"For the players, by the direction of the Sports Authority of India, we have had some containers built in various SAI campuses, where the athletes got an experience to stay in containers.

And of course, cruise ships, we tried to replicate something like that," said Sharath, as quoted by news agency PTI.Around 4,000-5,000 athletes will stay on the luxury cruise liner Costa Serena at Nagoya Port, while around 2,000 will be housed in converted shipping containers at Garden Pier in Nagoya Bay. The rest will stay in hotels near competition venues in Aichi and, for some events such as swimming, in Tokyo.

Athletes prepared for the challenge

Sharath, who is also the vice chair of the Athletes Commission of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), said the bigger concern was for officials, who did not get the same opportunity as athletes to experience the makeshift accommodation beforehand.

"But at the same time, players know what to expect. We have educated them very well. And I am pretty sure they will get accustomed quite quickly," he said."The important thing is the performance. I am sure they will be able to perform well."

At least one TT medal

Sharath is also expecting India’s table tennis team to return with at least one medal. The 10-member squad includes five men and five women, with the men's doubles pair of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah and the mixed doubles combination of Manush and Diya Chitale among India's medal hopes.

"My expectation is to win at least one medal, if not two. Last time, we got one medal in women's double. And prior to that, we got two bronze medals in 2018," Sharath said."The men's doubles pair of Manush and Manav, they are doing extremely well. They were world number two at one point in time. They are in the top four now. And they have a good chance of winning a medal," said the 44-year-old."So these two events, we have a good chance to win medals. And of course, team championships are always quite an open event."Table tennis competitions will be held from September 20 to 28.