Short beds, leaking sink; South Korea slams ‘worst ever’ Asian Games accommodation

Tokyo: Accommodation for athletes at the Asian Games in Japan has come under criticism, with South Korean officials describing the arrangements as the “worst ever” and warning of a serious shortage of rooms.

The Games, being held in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture, officially open on Saturday, though football and basketball events are already underway.

‘Worst it has ever been’

Jung Jae-yong, vice president of the Korea Basketball Association, told AFP that he was deeply unhappy with the temporary cabins where South Korea’s men’s basketball team is staying.

“Based on my experience this is the worst it has ever been,” he said.

Jung said the beds in the shipping container-style huts were too short for players above two metres tall to stretch their legs.

“Athletes who are over two metres tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It’s unreasonable,” he said.

South Korean basketball player Byeon Jun-hyeong also posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and a soaked floor inside his accommodation. He captioned the post, “Please help us.”
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No dedicated athletes’ village

Unlike many major sporting events, the Asian Games do not have a dedicated athletes’ village this year.

Organisers are instead using a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins and hotels as accommodation as they seek to keep costs under control.

The temporary huts are expected to house around 2,000 athletes and officials during the more than two weeks of competition.

Indian sports officials have reportedly built replicas of the cabins to familiarise their athletes with the accommodation before the Games.

Jung said organisers had yet to respond to South Korea’s concerns.

“We are very concerned and discussing extensively with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee what to do about this,” he said.
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Concerns over room shortage

More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to attend the Games, exceeding the number at the Olympics.

Local organisers had initially estimated the number at around 15,000 and said last month that they had “neither the manpower nor the budget” to handle the increase.

The Olympic Council of Asia later said all participants would have accommodation.

However, a South Korean Olympic committee official told AFP that a shortage remained a concern in the Aichi-Nagoya area.

“At the moment there is a serious shortage of accommodation not only for the entire South Korean delegation to the Asian Games, but for delegations from around the world in the Aichi-Nagoya area,” the official said.

The official added that efforts were underway to resolve the issue.

Officials moved to hotels and Airbnb

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said all athletes from his country had been provided with rooms.

However, some officials, including coaches, were moved to different hotels and Airbnb properties.

Star cricketers have also raised concerns over the availability of high-quality hotels.

Heavy rain adds to accommodation woes

Accommodation problems have been compounded by extreme weather.

Hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation last week after record rainfall hit Nagoya. More rain is forecast in the coming days.

The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena is expected to arrive in Nagoya on Tuesday and will accommodate between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes.

Other participants will stay in hotels, including in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events are scheduled to take place.

(With AFP inputs)