Tokyo, Japan – Accommodation at the Asian Games starting this week in Japan is the “worst ever”, South Korean officials told AFP on Monday, also warning of “a serious shortage” of rooms.
Beds in shipping container-style huts are too short for players to stretch out, a South Korean basketball chief said, while officials from the Philippines resorted to Airbnb.
There is no dedicated athletes’ village at the Games, with organisers instead relying on a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins and hotels in a bid to cut costs.
The Games in the city of Nagoya and Aichi prefecture officially open on Saturday, but football and basketball is already under way.
Jung Jae-yong, vice president of the Korea Basketball Association, told AFP he was deeply unhappy with the cabins where the men’s basketball team are staying.
“Based on my experience, this is the worst it has ever been,” he said.
“Athletes who are over two metres tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It’s unreasonable.”
Byeon Jun-hyeong, from the basketball team, posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and soaked floor in his hut.
He posted the caption, “Please help us”.
The huts are set to be home to 2,000 athletes and officials over the more than two weeks of the Games.
Indian sports chiefs are so worried about the cabins that they built replicas to help get their athletes used to them.
The vice president Jung accused organisers of failing to respond to South Korea’s concerns.
“The organisers have still not said anything,” said Jung.
“We are very concerned and discussing extensively with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee what to do about this.”
Hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation last week as record rainfall lashed Nagoya.
More rain has been forecast in the coming days.
‘Serious shortage’
More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected at the Games — a bigger number than the Olympics.
Local organisers were initially expecting 15,000 and argued last month that they had “neither the manpower nor the budget” to deal with ballooning numbers.
The Olympic Council of Asia later said that everyone would get a place to stay.
Star cricketers have voiced fears about a lack of top-notch hotels.
A South Korean Olympic committee official told AFP that, with the Games just days away, there are problems.
“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.
“We are doing everything we can to resolve the issue and ensure there are no such problems.”
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino told AFP that all his country’s athletes had been given a room.
But “some officials, like coaches, were moved to different hotels and Airbnb”.
Asian Games organisers did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena is due to arrive in Nagoya on Tuesday.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the vessel.
The rest will be in hotels, including in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.
AFP
