Asian Games chiefs hold talks as participant numbers balloon
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About 15,000 athletes and officials were initially expected at the Games, but an Olympic Council of Asia press release last week put the number at 17,000.
PHOTO: AFP
- Asian Games organisers are in regular talks with the Olympic Council of Asia due to a rise in participants from 15,000 to 17,000, causing accommodation concerns.
- Athletes will stay on a hired cruise ship, in wooden container huts, and hotels, including in Tokyo where some events will be held.
- Organisers are confident the accommodation plan will withstand Japan's typhoon season despite the unconventional housing arrangements to cut costs.
AI generated
TOKYO – Japanese Asian Games organisers said on Aug 26 they were holding “regular discussions” with Asian Olympic chiefs after a report claimed they had asked for the ballooning number of participants to be scaled back.
About 15,000 athletes and officials were initially expected at the Games, which are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from Sept 19 to Oct 4.
But an Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) press release last week put the number at 17,000 – 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials – which could potentially put a strain on accommodation.
There is no dedicated athletes’ village, with organisers instead relying on a cruise ship, wooden containers and hotels.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency said the local organising committee has asked the OCA to address the surge in numbers.
The organising committee told AFP that it would “prefer not to comment on the details of our discussions with the OCA”.
“We are sharing information with the OCA, the event organiser, regarding the registration status of the various national teams, and are holding regular discussions with them regarding arrangements such as accommodation for the teams,” a spokesperson said.
AFP has contacted the OCA for comment.
Organisers have opted for temporary athlete accommodation to cut costs, hiring the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena for the event.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, which features 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars.
Officials are confident that the plan will not be disrupted by Japan’s typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September and October.
A further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in wooden shipping container-style huts in Nagoya’s Garden Pier area while the rest will stay in hotels.
That includes in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.
Among the athletes will be about 100 North Koreans who will be aiming to “bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un”, said a senior official.
The nuclear-armed state suspended participation in international sporting competitions during the Covid-19 pandemic but returned to the Asiad in China in 2023 and also took part in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The contingent, which will compete in 14 sports, include two Japan-based athletes in women’s football and karate, said Ko Chol Ho, secretary-general of North Korea’s Olympic committee.
“Our delegation will send more than 100 athletes to compete in 14 sports, including men’s and women’s football, weightlifting, boxing and wrestling,” Ko told Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korea publication based in Japan, during an interview in Pyongyang.
“We are making every effort, driven by a strong desire to live up to the expectations of our country and people by achieving even greater results at the upcoming Games,” the official said, in remarks published on Aug 25.
He noted that the delegation would be smaller than the 191-strong team at the Hangzhou Games of 2023 but said he hoped the athletes would win more medals. North Korea won 11 golds in the previous edition, six of them in weightlifting.
The official said morale among the athletes was high for the event and they were motivated to win for their leader.
“Our athletes are training tirelessly every day, determined to bring joy to Marshal Kim,” he said.
North Korea has recently been hurling criticism at Japan, a former regional colonial power, over what Pyongyang describes as its remilitarisation. AFP
