We don't want Games host Japan losing money, says Asian Olympic official
Olympic officials are defending Japan's cost-saving measures for the Asian Games, which include housing athletes on a cruise ship and in wooden huts. The strategy is being presented as a potential model for future host nations to avoid excessive debt.
Why it matters
This approach challenges the traditional, high-cost model of hosting major sporting events, potentially influencing how future games are organized.
Japan's hosting of the Asian Games with huts and a cruise ship is an example for other nations if they want to stage major events without breaking the bank, a senior Olympic official said on Saturday (September 19, 2026).
The build-up to Asia's biggest sporting spectacular has been overshadowed by a shortage of accommodation in Nagoya for the more than 17,000 participants.
Some countries have also complained about the quality of the rooms, especially in the shipping container-style huts.
Japanese organisers did not build an athletes' village, as is normally done, in a bid to cut costs.
About 4,000 participants are housed instead on cruise liner Costa Serena , which is sitting in Nagoya's port, with another 2,000 in the wooden huts.
The rest are in hotels in the city and across Aichi prefecture.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in