New Delhi: The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have done away with one of the most familiar features of a multi-sport event: a dedicated athletes’ village.
Instead, more than 17,000 athletes and officials are being accommodated across hotels, temporary wooden units and the Costa Serena cruise ship, which is docked at Nagoya Port. Although the decision was driven by Japan’s stated focus on cost and sustainability, the arrangement has drawn complaints over accommodation, transport and the overall athlete experience.
Indian badminton player HS Prannoy and Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha have both questioned the model, saying the absence of a centralised village takes away the chance for athletes from different sports and countries to meet, while also creating logistical challenges.
Why did Aichi-Nagoya scrap the traditional village?
A conventional athletes’ village requires a large purpose-built complex that can accommodate thousands of competitors and officials in one location. Such villages also need dining halls, transport links, recreation facilities and other services.
For Aichi-Nagoya, organisers opted against building a new permanent village. Instead, they divided accommodation between existing hotels, temporary container-style units and a cruise ship. About 9,000 athletes were expected to stay in hotels, while roughly 4,000 were assigned to the cruise ship and another 2,000 to the temporary wooden units.
The organising committee had initially planned accommodation for up to 15,000 people. As registrations grew beyond that figure, the Olympic Council of Asia and Aichi-Nagoya organisers worked on additional arrangements, including having some team officials arrange their own accommodation.
India was among the contingents that faced accommodation problems. India’s Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav said 30–35 Indian athletes initially faced difficulties after their accommodation allocation was reduced. The Indian contingent subsequently booked additional hotel rooms and made its own transport arrangements.
The organisers and the Olympic Council of Asia have defended the arrangement as a way of avoiding a large facility that could become difficult to use after the Games. The organisers have also stressed the environmental and cost considerations behind the model.
Why are athletes unhappy?
The problem is not where athletes sleep. A central village traditionally puts competitors from different countries and sports in one place, allowing them to meet outside competition.
Prannoy, who won a men’s team bronze at Aichi-Nagoya on 23 September, said this part of the Asian Games experience had disappeared.
“The whole fun and the whole point of multi-sport events is you get to meet the rest of the players,” he said in an interview posted by the Badminton Association of India. “It was literally sad to be in such a situation.”
PT Usha, who has competed at several Asian Games and is now IOA president, had raised similar concerns before Prannoy’s comments. She said she and other members of the Games coordination committee had objected to the absence of a conventional village.
“Everybody can come together, see each other and mix and mingle. That is what makes a Village so good,” Usha said.
There have also been complaints about the practical side of the arrangement. South Korea’s sports officials said some delegations faced shortages in the temporary accommodation, with one official saying a delegation promised 100 rooms was short by about 20. South Korean officials also raised concerns about cramped rooms and small beds.
South Korea’s men’s basketball team was later moved to hotels after flooding affected its temporary accommodation, while its players also missed practice after a shuttle bus failed to turn up. South Korean officials also complained about transport problems affecting other teams.
What do organisers say?
The Aichi-Nagoya organising committee has acknowledged problems with accommodation and transport but said the situation has improved.
AINAGOC Secretary General Satoshi Murate apologised for the problems, saying: “There have been mistakes in accommodation and transport, for various reasons. Whatever the cause, AINAGOC is responsible for providing the service, and I frankly apologise for the mistakes.”
He added that organisers were working to identify the causes and prevent them from recurring, saying accommodation and transport had “improved greatly” compared with the early days of the Games.