Indian athletes faced a major accommodation delay in Nagoya on Wednesday, with some members of the contingent reportedly waiting for more than 12 hours to get cabins on the cruise ship being used to house athletes at the 2026 Asian Games. A video has surfaced on social media in which Indian athletes can be seen waiting along with others for the allocation of cabins on the cruise ship.
According to The New Indian Express, Indian rowers and shooters were among those left waiting after arriving at the Costa Serena cruise ship. The report stated that some athletes were relying on food they had carried from home, while the organising committee provided them only water during the wait.
Check-In Issues
Other Indian athletes also faced problems during the initial check-in process. Members of the wushu contingent reportedly found that one player and two coaches were initially missing from the accommodation list. An Indian Olympic Association official later said that the players had been allocated rooms.
The Indian table tennis contingent also described the check-in process as lengthy, although the team later settled in.
Costa Serena Houses Asian Games Athletes
The Costa Serena was docked at Nagoya Port on Tuesday and it is being used as a floating accommodation facility during the Games. It has around 1,500 cabins and will house up to 4,000 athletes and officials.
The accommodation delays come amid wider concerns over arrangements for the Asian Games with organisers housing participants across the cruise ship, hotels and temporary container-style accommodation instead of a traditional athletes' village.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will begin on September 19.
