Why do athletes at the Asian Games sleep on a ship?
On 19 September in the Japanese city of Nagoya the 20th Asian Games were opened with a ceremony. The competitions last until 4 October, although events in some sports began as early as 10 September. Japan is organising the Games for the third time, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. These are the first Asian Games in Japan for 32 long years. This year also marks 75 years since the first Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951. The Games are held every four years, and the previous ones were in China.
According to the organisers, more than 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions are taking part. They compete in 43 sports, among which there are also several new ones. For the first time on the programme are padel, teqball, surfing, mixed martial arts and virtual taekwondo. China traditionally wins the most medals at these Games.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito opened the Games at the Mizuho Park stadium in Nagoya in front of thousands of spectators. The ceremony was attended also by the President of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry, the first woman in that position. The flame was lit by Koji Murofushi and his father Shigenobu, both famous hammer throwers from Japan.
These Games are special also because of the accommodation of athletes and coaches. In order to cut costs, the organisers did not build the usual athletes' village, which is normally built for every Games. About 4,000 athletes and officials sleep on the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, a full 290 metres long. The ship is moored in the port of Nagoya. Another 2,000 or so people are housed in temporary wooden huts, built specially for the Games. About 17,000 athletes and officials came to the Games, instead of the expected 15,000, so accommodation became a problem.
The conditions also caused complaints from some teams. Basketball players from South Korea, over two metres tall, could not stretch out in their beds. In some cases men and women were reportedly housed together, and in one place the sink was leaking. Cricket teams, on the other hand, were given accommodation in hotels in the city. In addition, torrential rain caused evacuations and delays to competitions in several sports.