Asian Games chief defends ‘functional’ rooms after backlash

Accommodation for Asian Games athletes in Japan is “functional” and efforts are being made to deal with numerous complaints from disgruntled teams, a chief organiser told AFP.

More than 17,000 competitors and officials are expected at the continent’s biggest sporting spectacular, which opens on Saturday in Nagoya.

In a bid to cut costs, organisers are housing athletes and officials in temporary accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to hotel rooms.

The plan has run into immediate problems, with South Korean officials branding the container huts the “worst ever” and saying the beds are too short.

An official from another team told AFP that he entered the facility, took one look at the arrangement and booked a hotel room instead.

Several countries have also complained about a shortage of accommodation.

Speaking ahead of the opening ceremony, organising committee president Hideaki Omura said efforts are being made to ensure athletes are comfortable.

“If there are different opinions then we will respond to them appropriately,” said Omura, who also serves as governor of Aichi prefecture.

“At this point, while we are responding to individual opinions, we have been improving everything as issues arise and we will continue to respond that way.”

Byeon Jun-hyeong, a player with South Korea’s men’s basketball team, posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and soaked floor in his hut accommodation.

He posted the caption, “Please help us”.

Hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation last week as record rainfall lashed Nagoya.

About 2,000 people are supposed to stay in the huts.

Cruise control

Omura said plans for the huts, which were built this year, had been given a favourable assessment by a committee of former athletes, including Olympians.

“We explained everything to them and had them take a look around, and they said it looked functional and good,” he said.

About 4,000 athletes and officials will also stay on the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which arrived in Nagoya on Tuesday.

Cruise ships have been used previously as accommodation at international sports events but never on this scale.

The Asian Games are taking place at a time when typhoons are common in Japan, and Nagoya has experienced heavy rainfall in recent weeks.

Omura said the priority was to keep athletes and officials on board safe.

“We believe we can provide accommodation that guarantees athletes’ safety and allows them to deliver their best performance,” he said.

Slow sales

Athletes from 45 countries and territories will compete in more than 40 sports across over two weeks.

Omura said ticket sales were going “fairly well”, especially for the marquee events.

But he admitted that lesser-known sports had yet to capture the Japanese public’s imagination.

That includes cricket, which is practically unknown in Japan.

“India have a superstar cricket squad coming and Indian residents in Japan are saying, ‘I can’t believe we get to watch matches like this’, but ticket sales haven’t been very strong,” said Omura.

“A lot of people in Japan have never seen cricket, so I really hope they take this chance and go and watch.”

Events at the Games including basketball and football have been under way since last week.

Omura said he was in attendance as the first action began when Qatar took on Iran in men’s basketball.

After watching a physical contest, Omura said he hoped the Games would help Asia “reaffirm its bonds of friendship through sport”.

“Iran and Qatar are in a situation where missiles are flying back and forth but they can still play basketball together,” he said.

“Without the Asian Games you couldn’t have a game like that.”

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