Asian Games: India turns to Nagoya community after accommodation crisis
On 2026-09-18, an accommodation shortfall at the Asian Games left several Indian athletes without rooms in Nagoya, prompting the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to seek help from the local Indian community. The ministry has asked residents in the city to remain on standby to provide temporary housing for athletes who cannot be accommodated through the official Games arrangements.
Organisers in Nagoya have struggled to supply rooms for the thousands of athletes and officials attending the quadrennial event, and several members of the Indian contingent encountered the problem on arrival, with some waiting up to 12 hours before being housed. With more members of the Indian team still expected to arrive, the ministry formulated an additional contingency plan that involves contacting Indian families living in Nagoya to act as a backup.
India's Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav said on Friday that he discovered after reaching Nagoya that around 30 to 35 Indian athletes had been removed from the accommodation list. "They (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee) informed us that more players than expected had come (from India). But as far as India is concerned, that's not the case. We stuck to the number of players they had invoiced. But they removed some names, so we booked hotels for them... we faced difficulty with regard to 30-35 athletes," Yadav said.
To cope, the Indian support team initially booked 18 additional hotel rooms and planned to add another 10, a total intended to accommodate about 30 athletes. The athletes affected by the shortfall came from badminton and shooting, according to the contingent's response.
The Indian delegation also arranged vehicles to pick up arriving athletes from the airport, and deputy chefs de mission Alaknanda Ashok and Anjali Bhagwat personally went to the airport to receive them. "Everyone has got accommodation and there is absolutely no problem at our end. Initially, when there were problems, we booked extra hotel rooms. Our team is going to the airport every time to fetch the athletes," Yadav said.
Yadav accepted there had been "mismanagement" but framed the response as focused on ensuring athletes' preparations were not disrupted. As part of that response, around 2,000 Indians living in Nagoya have been asked to remain available and could provide temporary accommodation if official arrangements fail to keep pace with arrivals.
With India continuing to send more personnel and athletes to Nagoya, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has incorporated the local Indian community into its contingency measures and will retain them on standby until the accommodation situation is stabilised, providing an additional layer of support should further shortfalls occur.