'Functional and Good': Asian Games Chief Dismisses Outcry Over Athlete Accommodation

Controversy has hit the Asian Games 2026 even before the start of the marquee competition. Several athletes, including Indians, have been provided with accommodation in wooden huts, a cruise liner, and hotel rooms. But there have been severe complaints regarding the accommodation provided to the athletes as things stand.

Asian Games Accommodations Under Severe Scanner

Members of the Korean basketball contingent branded the wooden container huts as unreasonable. Jung Jae-yong, vice-president of the Korea Basketball Association, told AFP, "Athletes who are over two metres (6ft 7in) tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It's unreasonable."

Another member of the South Korean basketball team shared a video of his room, in which pipes are leaking, and the room is soaked. Another member of the country told AFP that they checked the facilities and decided to book a room. Shortage of accomcodation from the the city of Nagoya and wider Aichi prefecture has also been reported.

Now, Asian Games organising committee president Hideaki Omura came to the defence of the accommodation facilities. He said, "If there are different opinions then we will respond to them appropriately.

"At this point, while we are responding to individual opinions, we have been improving everything as issues arise and we will continue to respond that way."

He further added that the wooden huts received good feedback before they were opened to the Asian Games athletes. “We explained everything to them and had them take a look around, and they said it looked functional and good.”

Asian Games Already In A Mess

Several Indian athletes have also been left waiting for rooms despite reaching Japan for the competition. A systemic glitch reportedly prevented the organisers from registering athlete information, and it has resulted in a mess. Indian MMA star Varun Sanyal confirmed that he has been waiting for rooms for the past 7 hours.

He posted on X, “I can confirm this is true. I'm currently on 7 hours and counting.”

Several teams are facing delays and accommodation issues, which will certainly affect their performance at the 2026 Asian Games.