South Korean Officials Slam 'Worst Ever' Asian Games Lodging Amid Severe Shortages

South Korean officials have lashed out at the living conditions for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, labeling the current setup as the “worst ever” and warning of severe room shortages. With no dedicated athletes' village built to cut costs, organizers have instead turned to a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins, and regional hotels.

Basketball officials from South Korea expressed severe dissatisfaction on Monday over cramped shipping container-style huts where the men’s basketball team is staying. Jung Jae-yong, vice president of the Korea Basketball Association (KBA), noted that athletes over two meters tall cannot even stretch their legs on the beds. Guard Byeon Jun-hyeong further highlighted the poor conditions by sharing social media footage of a leaking sink and a soaked floor inside his cabin.

These temporary huts are slated to house 2,000 athletes and officials throughout the two-week event in the city of Nagoya in Aichi prefecture. Amid growing anxiety, Indian sports officials went as far as constructing cabin replicas to help their athletes prepare for the unorthodox housing.

Jung accused event organizers of ignoring South Korea's grievances, noting that no official response has been given yet. Meanwhile, severe weather has already caused disruptions, with hundreds of athletes briefly evacuated last week due to record rainfall lashing Nagoya.

Organizers are currently grappling with an unexpected influx of participants, expecting over 17,000 athletes and officials—surpassing Olympic numbers and exceeding their initial 15,000 estimate. A Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) official confirmed that accommodation shortages remain a widespread issue affecting delegations globally in the Aichi-Nagoya area.

While the Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino stated that all athletes from his country secured rooms, some support staff and coaches had to be relocated to separate hotels and Airbnb rentals. To ease the capacity crunch, the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena is scheduled to dock in Nagoya to house between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes, while remaining competitors stay in various hotels, including venues in Tokyo.