'Floating village' to house thousands of Asian Games athletes

New Straits Times

05-06-2025

TOKYO: Athletes at next year's Asian Games in Japan will stay on a "floating village" cruise ship and in converted shipping containers, an organising official told AFP, defending the cost-cutting move.
The plan will see 4,600 athletes and officials accommodated on the ship for the duration of the Games, which will take place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from 19 September to 4 October 2026.
Organisers will lease a luxury cruise liner that will be docked at Nagoya's port.
A further 2,400 people will be housed in temporary shelters made from shipping containers a short bus ride away. The two locations will collectively accommodate about half of the 15,000 athletes and officials expected to attend the Games.
The remainder will stay in alternative accommodation, including in Tokyo, where the swimming competitions will be held.
Local organisers were keen to avoid the cost of constructing a traditional athletes' village, but Asian Olympic officials warned that any alternative must still enable athletes to meet and interact with one another.
Kazuhiro Yagi, Vice-Secretary General of the Aichi-Nagoya Games Organising Committee, told AFP that they had taken athletes' opinions into consideration and aimed to "provide a service that satisfies them."
"The cruise ship and container housing are in different locations, but they're only about 10 minutes apart by shuttle bus," he said.
"I don't think it will be a problem at all in terms of being able to interact with other athletes.
"There's an aquarium and various other entertainment facilities in the area. I think they'll be able to unwind, relax, and come together."
The 2023 Games in Hangzhou, China, featured around 12,000 athletes, making it the largest Asian Games in history, with more competitors than the Olympics.
The Asian Games return to Japan for the first time since Hiroshima hosted them in 1994. The country has since staged several major sporting events, including the pandemic-delayed Olympics in 2021, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Yagi admits that there "still isn't enough awareness" of the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Games and says more needs to be done to raise the profile of the event.
"I don't think there's anyone in Japan who hasn't heard of the Olympics or Paralympics, but my personal feeling is that perhaps only half the population knows about the Asian Games," he said.
"Young people weren't even born the last time it was held here 32 years ago, so I'd like them to discover that it's a fantastic event."
The Asian Games feature an eclectic mix of events, with bridge, kabaddi, and dragon boat racing sharing the stage with traditional Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and football.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games have added mixed martial arts to the programme, and Yagi hopes its debut will showcase Asia's diverse martial arts traditions and attract new fans.
"We want to appeal to the interests of young people, so including new events is essential," he said.
"We want to include mixed martial arts to engage the younger generation in sport."
Esports proved a huge hit at its full Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, with fans filling the futuristic 4,500-seat arena to watch star gamers such as South Korea's Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.
Aichi-Nagoya will be the first time Japan hosts an eSports competition on such a large scale, and Yagi believes its benefits extend beyond just the youth.
"Esports can help elderly people who don't have many opportunities to exercise," he said.
"You use your fingers and make intricate movements, which I've heard is good for combatting dementia.