Asian Games Accommodation Crisis: Teams Face Shortage of Beds

The Asian Games in Japan have not yet held their opening ceremony, but they are already facing a backlash off the field, with South Korean officials branding the accommodation “the worst ever” and warning of a “serious shortage” of rooms.

Nagoya, the host city, has no traditional athletes’ village. Instead, organisers have pieced together a cost-cutting patchwork: a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins and scattered hotel bookings. It has not gone down well.

From the South Korean camp came one of the most striking complaints. A senior basketball official described beds in shipping container-style huts that are too short for players to stretch out properly — a basic requirement at any elite tournament, let alone a continental showpiece. Recovery, rest, routine: all compromised before a ball is tipped.

Other delegations have been forced into improvisation. Officials from the Philippines turned to Airbnb to secure somewhere for their athletes and staff to sleep, a move that underlines how tight the official room allocation has become.

All this while the Games are only just getting started. The event officially opens on Saturday, yet football and basketball have already begun. On the pitch, China’s women laid down an early marker with a 5-1 win over Hong Kong on Monday, a commanding result overshadowed by the noise surrounding life off the field.

As the competition gathers pace and more athletes arrive, the question lingers over Nagoya’s makeshift model: can a tournament of this scale really thrive when the first battle many competitors face is simply finding a bed that fits?