Asian Games: 2,000 Indians ready to accommodate athletes after hotel crisis

After an unprecedented accommodation crisis left several Indian athletes stranded without a room in Nagoya, the Indian government turned to an unexpected support network. About 2,000 Indians living in the Japanese city have been asked to remain on standby to help accommodate Indian athletes if they have trouble finding a place to stay during the Asian Games.

The Asian Games have been hit by a major accommodation crisis in Nagoya, with organizers scrambling to secure rooms for the thousands of athletes and officials arriving in Japan for the quadrennial event.

Several Indian athletes faced similar problems while landing in Japan, with some waiting for up to 12 hours before they were finally accommodated. As more members of the Indian contingent are still expected to arrive in Nagoya, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has now prepared another contingency plan by reaching out to the Indian community in the city.

Indian families living in Nagoya have been asked to remain on standby until the accommodation crisis is brought under control. If needed, they could provide temporary accommodation to Indian athletes who are unable to secure rooms through official games.

The move comes after the Indian support team has already taken several measures to deal with the crisis, including booking additional hotel rooms and arranging transport for athletes left waiting at airports.

INDIA IS MOVING FOR HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Accommodation problems became apparent soon after the Indian contingent began arriving in Nagoya.

India’s chief of mission, Sahdev Yadav, said on Friday that he learned only after arriving in the city that about 30 to 35 Indian athletes had been removed from the accommodation list.

Organizers told India that more athletes than expected had arrived. However, Yadav said the Indian contingent stuck to the number of athletes billed for accommodation.

“They (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee) informed us that more players have come than expected (from India). But as far as India is concerned, that is not the case. We stuck to the number of players they invoiced. But they removed some names, so we booked hotels for them… we faced difficulties with 30-35 athletes,” Yadav said.

India had initially booked 18 more hotel rooms and planned to add another 10, enough to accommodate about 30 athletes. The affected athletes were from badminton and shooting.

The Indian contingent also provided vehicles to pick up the athletes from the airport and take them to their accommodation, while Deputy Chef de Mission Alaknanda Ashok and Anjali Bhagwat personally drove to the airport to receive the arriving athletes.

“They all have accommodation and there is absolutely no problem from our side. Initially, when there were problems, we booked extra hotel rooms. Our team goes to the airport every time to bring the athletes,” Yadav said.

Now, with the possibility of further accommodation problems as the contingent continues to arrive, Nagoya’s Indian community has been included in contingency plans.

The move provides an extra layer of support for India if official accommodation arrangements fail to keep pace with the number of athletes arriving in the city.

Yadav had earlier acknowledged that there had been mismanagement, but insisted that India’s priority was to ensure that accommodation issues did not affect the athletes’ preparation.

“Yes, there is mismanagement, but it is a big event and it can happen. But we have to look further,” he said.

Looking beyond the crisis now means for India to prepare for the possibility that even more athletes may need a place to stay.

And with around 2,000 Indians living in Nagoya now on standby, the Indian community could become an unlikely part of India’s safety net for Asian Games accommodation.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

18 Sep 2026 19:10 IST