Bus mix-ups, leaky cabins and hotel shortages: Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games face logistical problems, typhoon fears as 17,000 athletes arrive

A view of the cruise ship Costa Serena, housing the athletes for the Asian Games, in the port of Nagoya, Japan. (PTI Photo) Leveled to the ground during World War II, Nagoya was a major target of American strategic bombing during World War II as it served as Japan’s main aircraft and munitions manufacturing hub. During World War II, Nagoya suffered extensive damage from air raids due to its role as an industrial center. The industrial facilities of the city, including the castle, were largely destroyed. However, in the post-war period, Nagoya rose from these ashes to become one of Japan’s most important industrial and economic centers.More than eight decades later, the Japanese city is hosting thousands of athletes and officials for the Asian Games, but the build-up to the event has been marred by accommodation and transport problems.Defending Asian Games men’s soccer champions South Korea were late for training on Wednesday after a bus arranged for the team failed to arrive at their hotel, Reuters reported.The Koreans, who opened their Aichi-Nagoya Games campaign with a 4-1 win over Qatar on Tuesday, arrived 20 minutes late for a recovery class in Nagoya after officials had to arrange a replacement bus.The traffic problem came a day after another confusion involving the South Korean team. The bus that took them to their opening game went to the baseball field instead of the Mizuho Rugby Stadium. The team finally arrived at the stadium 30 minutes after their scheduled arrival time.The incidents added to a series of concerns over transport and accommodation ahead of the official start of the Asian Games in Japan on Saturday. Some events, including football, started before the opening ceremony.The 20th Asian Games will bring together more than 17,000 athletes and officials, including Olympic and world champions. The games are mainly held in the port city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture, with the competition running until October 4.With a population of over two million, Nagoya is Japan’s fourth largest city by population.The 30,000-capacity Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium will be the main venue for the Games, hosting the athletics as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The swim, one of the most closely watched events, will be held 350 kilometers (200 miles) east in Tokyo.The Games are held every four years and some events are also up for grabs for places in the 2028 Olympics.

More than 17,000 competitors and officials

Accommodation was one of the main problems in preparing for the games. The South Korean Olympic Committee said on Monday there was a “severe shortage of accommodation” for the event, while officials from the Philippines turned to Airbnb.The problem continued on Thursday, with even the host Japanese team looking for alternative arrangements after cases where male and female athletes were allocated shared rooms.Local organizers originally expected about 15,000 athletes and officials to participate. They later said they had “neither the manpower nor the budget” to deal with the higher number.The organizers subsequently issued a joint statement with the Olympic Council of Asia, saying that all athletes and officials registered before the July deadline would be “provided with accommodation suitable for the Games”.More than 17,000 competitors and officials are expected to attend the Games.

Problems with accommodation and transport

The number of participants, which is higher than at the Olympics, caused problems for the organizers, who originally planned for 15,000 people and had to find accommodation for additional participants.They decided not to build a village dedicated to athletes to keep costs down. Instead, athletes and officials are housed in a mix of hotels, cruise ships and temporary accommodation, including wooden cabins and shipping container huts.Organizers said the 20th edition of the games, which were first held in 1951, would be “the most spectacular for generations”.The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena accommodates 4,000 to 5,000 athletes and officials. The ship has 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars.Cruise ships have previously been used as accommodation for international sporting events, but never on this scale.The arrangement has raised concerns among some of the countries involved. India even built replica container huts to prepare its athletes for their stay in Japan.A senior coach accompanying India’s 30-member shooting contingent also expressed disappointment over the arrangements, particularly the amount of time required to travel between accommodation and the venue for training and competition.The coach, as quoted by PTI, said he had arrived in Japan with some level of expectation but felt the arrangements did not match the image he had of the country. The Indian shooters were accommodated about 50 km from the range and in different hotels.For the contingent, which includes several Indian medal contenders including two-time Olympic bronze medalist Manu Bhaker and multiple Asian Games medalist Esha Singh, the commute meant early starts and long hours on the road to maintain their training schedules.“This (traffic) is a real problem. But what can we do about it? I didn’t see any hotels around the range. If there were, we would have arrived early. They gave us accommodation in a place that was far away, so what can we do about it now?” the coach, who was not named, said as quoted by PTI.South Korean sports officials on Monday described the accommodation as the “worst” they had experienced at the Games, saying the beds were too short.With the opening ceremony just days away, a Korean Olympic Committee official said there was a “severe shortage of accommodation”, according to AFP.Concerns have also been raised about the condition of the shipping container huts, which are expected to house around 2,000 athletes and officials.South Korean basketball player Byeon Jun-hyeong posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and wet floor in his cottage.He posted the caption: “Please help us”.

Typhoon raises concerns

Japan has not built a dedicated village for athletes as part of its cost-cutting efforts. Some competitors are accommodated in hotels, while others are accommodated on a cruise ship docked in Nagoya Port. Temporary wooden cabins are also used.Organizers said the cruise ship would provide an unforgettable experience for those staying on board, but weather conditions could pose another problem.September and October are typhoon season in Japan. The Costa Serena can hold about 4,000 people and is the twin of the Costa Concordia, which sank off Tuscany in 2012, killing 32 people.The weather has already caused problems for Hera. Heavy rains lashed Nagoya last week, forcing attendees staying in shipping container-style accommodation to temporarily evacuate.Several teams complained about the condition of the huts, including the length of the beds, while others expressed concerns about the lack of rooms.On Thursday, two days before the opening ceremony, meteorologists predicted that the typhoon could hit Japan’s main island, where Nagoya is located, on Sunday or Monday.Such weather could affect the estimated 4,000 Games participants staying on a cruise ship in Nagoya harbor.“All we can do is pray that the worst-case scenario doesn’t happen,” The Asahi Shimbun newspaper quoted an unnamed sports federation official as saying.