Mixed-gender room assignments, cramped quarters plague Nagoya Asian Games village

The South Korean flag hangs at a container-style prefabricated wooden accommodation complex near Nagoya Port, two days before the opening of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, on Thursday. [Yonhap]

The organizing committee for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has drawn fire over accommodation mismanagement — including assigning male and female athletes to the same rooms — prompting even the host nation's team to consider moving to hotels in downtown Nagoya.

According to The Japan Times, Japan team Deputy Chef de Mission Mizutori Hisashi told reporters Thursday that he had heard the room assignments were "extremely tight" and that the delegation was "working on adjustments and consultations where possible." Mizutori is a former Olympic gymnastics gold medalist and serves on the executive board of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

Mizutori cited one example in which a group of five men and five women was assigned five twin rooms, saying that while "the numbers add up on paper, in practice it creates awkward situations where men and women end up sharing a room, or a coach is placed in the same room as an athlete." He added that trainers who need space for medical equipment were also assigned to share rooms with other personnel.

The Japanese Olympic Committee had anticipated accommodation problems and secured hotel rooms in downtown Nagoya as a backup. Mizutori said the delegation was considering using those hotels as an alternative.

A visitor poses for a photo at the arrival ceremony for the Costa Serena, a cruise ship serving as athlete accommodation for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, at Nagoya Port on Tuesday, four days before the Games open. [Yonhap]

The organizing committee opted not to build a traditional athletes' village, citing cost savings and environmental considerations. Instead, it arranged to house 4,000 athletes and officials aboard the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which arrived Tuesday, another 2,000 in a container-style prefabricated wooden complex at Nagoya Port's Garden Pier, and the remainder in hotels across Aichi Prefecture.

The committee attributed the accommodation shortage to a larger-than-expected turnout, saying the number of athletes and officials had grown from an initial estimate of 15,000 to around 17,000 as additional sports were added to the program.

In a joint statement with the Olympic Council of Asia, the committee said it would cap participation at 17,000 and guarantee accommodation for all.

Complaints from delegations staying in the container units had been mounting even before the Games began. South Korean men's basketball player Byeon Jun-hyeong of Jung Kwan Jang posted a video on Instagram on Sept. 11 showing water leaking from a bathroom sink and flooding the floor of his room, writing: "Help me."

Korea Basketball Association Vice President Jeong Jae-yong also told AFP the conditions were "the worst ever," adding: "Players who are over 2 meters tall can't even stretch their legs in bed. It's so unfair."

Accommodation conditions for other delegations have also drawn fire. According to Chinese outlet Record China, Chinese media figure Zhao Tanjang wrote on the social media platform Weibo that members of the Chinese team were sharing container-converted rooms three to a unit and using communal bathrooms and showers.

Indian outlet The Bridge reported that Indian athletes were also staying three to a room designed for two, with some waiting hours to check in to the cruise ship.

However, the organizing committee maintained that the facilities themselves were not at fault.

Organizing Committee Chairman and Aichi Prefecture Governor Omura Hideaki told AFP that the container accommodations were functional and that a committee of athletes with Olympic experience had given them a positive assessment during a pre-Games inspection. Omura also said the temporary housing model could serve as a template for fiscally sustainable Games management.

Meanwhile, the Asian Games open Saturday and run through Oct. 14.

dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com