If your country has recently added you to its contingent for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan next month, it may be time to start looking for accommodation. Organisers have admitted they are unable to make arrangements for additional participants, citing a shortage of manpower and a tight budget.
The Asian Games, which begin on September 19, will be held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area. Initially, nearly 15,000 athletes and officials were expected to attend the continental event.
However, last week, the organisers were informed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) that the number of participants could rise to around 17,000, including 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials.
Organising committee president Hideaki Omura has now told reporters that they
have “neither the manpower nor the budget to make the necessary arrangements” for the additional participants.
“The host city agreement specifies a delegation of 15,000 people,” Omura, who also serves as the governor of Aichi Prefecture, said this week. “We have not set aside a budget for any more than that. There is simply nowhere for them to stay.”
No Dedicated Village
There is no dedicated athletes’ village for the 2026 Asian Games.
Instead, organisers will use a luxury cruise ship, temporary wooden containers and hotels to accommodate participants.
The temporary athlete accommodation has been used as a cost-cutting measure.
Nearly 4,000-5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, while a further 2,000 athletes and officials will be accommodated in shipping container-style huts.
The rest will stay in hotels, including in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.
According to reports, the local organising committee asked the OCA to reduce the number of participants.
“If they still wish to come, they will have to make their own arrangements,” said Omura.
Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who serves as acting chairman of the organising committee, said on Wednesday that it was “difficult to accommodate this number, both in terms of time and physical capacity”.
“From a cost perspective we are operating on a tight budget and it is difficult,” he said.
