Indians in Japan stand ready to host India's Asian Games athletes amid accommodation shortfall

Indians living in Japan are on stand-by to house India’s athletes at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture, officials said on Saturday (September 19, 2026). The Games opened officially that night amid concerns over temporary accommodation for competitors.

The build-up to the Asian Games has been affected by accommodation problems after Japan chose not to build a traditional athletes' village to save money. Organisers instead allocated a mix of hotel rooms, temporary wooden container-style huts and berths on a cruise ship. The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which will serve as a floating temporary athletes' village for 4,000 to 5,000 participants during the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, docked at the port of Nagoya, Japan.

Many of the 17,000 athletes and officials arriving for the Games have expressed dissatisfaction with their assigned temporary accommodation. Complaints reported by participants included rooms lacking storage space for kit and beds that they described as too small. Those concerns have prompted some teams to seek alternative arrangements.

India, which is sending almost 500 athletes, has adjusted its plans in response to the accommodation issues and moved some athletes from the huts into hotels. "We have booked hotels for our athletes here," Sahdev Yadav, India's chef de mission at Asian Games and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)'s treasurer, told AFP. "But if the hotel rooms fall short then yes, we have Indian households here on standby to accommodate the athletes. "They are all more than happy to welcome the stars at their homes."

Reports said the Indian embassy in Japan had helped reach out to around 2,000 families in Nagoya, some of whom are prepared to help. Those contacts form part of contingency options being prepared by Indian officials in Japan.

Organisers defended the accommodation strategy, saying the arrangements were safe, cost-effective and comfortable and that Japan should be applauded for trying to do something different. The assertion forms the organisers' public response to the complaints from arriving delegations.

India has already moved some athletes into hotels and has contingency plans in place should the shortage of suitable rooms worsen as more competitors and support staff arrive in the coming days.