The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games get under way this weekend under the shadow of a housing crisis that has organisers scrambling to placate athletes and officials from participating nations, two days before the formal opening on September 19. The tournament has been mired in complaints over housing after the host nation decided not to build a dedicated Games village for the 17,000 competitors and officials. To cut costs, organisers are relying on a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins and hotels — and the compromises are showing before the opening ceremony. On Monday, South Korean officials slammed beds in the shipping container-style huts as the worst-ever, as the South Korean basketball chief said the beds were too short to stretch out in. ## Why the Crisis Happened The official housing committee said the issue arose because they expected 15,000 athletes and officials, but numbers increased as new sports were added. This year's Games feature several newcomers, including mixed martial arts, padel and surfing, as well as virtual taekwondo and teqball, which combines aspects of football and table tennis. Chief organiser Hideaki Omura, who also serves as governor of Aichi prefecture, defended the preparations. "If there are different opinions, then we will respond to them appropriately," Omura told AFP. "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 added that a committee of former athletes, including Olympians, gave a favourable assessment of the huts. "We explained everything to them and had them take a look around, and they said it looked functional and good," he said. ## Where the Athletes Actually Sleep The alternative housing ranges from a cruise liner to wooden containers to hotel rooms. On Tuesday, the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which will host 4,000 athletes and officials, arrived in Nagoya. The shipping container-style huts in the dock area of Japan's biggest port will house 2,000 others. On Thursday, Japan's deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori described the matchmaking problems inside the ship village, which opened a day earlier. "There have been cases where coaches, team officials and athletes have been assigned to the same room," Mizutori told a news conference. "While the numbers match on paper, practically it creates challenging situations such as men and women being assigned together, coaches being assigned with athletes, or trainers who need to accommodate a lot of medical equipment being assigned together." He said the Japanese Olympic Committee had anticipated accommodation challenges and secured hotels in the city as backup. "For cases where that proves too difficult, we are considering using the backup accommodations that Team Japan prepared in advance as alternatives." ## The Complaints Piling Up Jung Jae-yong, vice president of the Korea Basketball Association, was blunt about the cabins hosting his men's basketball team. "Athletes who are over two metres tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It's unreasonable," Jung said, accusing organisers of failing to respond to South Korea's concerns. "The organisers have still not said anything. We are very concerned and discussing extensively with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee what to do about this." Player Byeon Jun-hyeong posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and a soaked floor in his hut, with the caption: "Please help us." Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said that while all his athletes had been given a room, some officials, like coaches, were moved to different hotels and Airbnb. One sport, however, is sleeping well. Japan's cricket association head Naoki Alex Miyaji said in early September that cricket teams are being offered hotel accommodation, because the tournament is run in collaboration with the Asian Cricket Council, which discussed housing with organisers for a long time — while many other sports are in the cruise ship or container hotels. ## Storm Clouds Over the Opening The Games have already been battered by weather. Last week torrential rains hit Nagoya, closing schools, suspending trains and forcing several hundred athletes to leave their accommodation. On Thursday, Tropical Storm Dujuan was located off Japan's Pacific coast, heading northwest toward central Japan, where Nagoya sits. "Some competitions have already experienced delays or postponements, and there is also a possibility that a typhoon could approach on September 21," said Kosei Inoue, Japan's chef de mission and a senior JOC executive board member. "Under these circumstances, we are holding thorough meetings within the JOC to ensure that we are fully prepared and capable of responding appropriately to these situations." Several events — basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon — have already begun. Qatar beat Iran in men's basketball as play started, and India's cricket team declined to accept the Asia Cup trophy in a parallel political standoff this month. The continental showpiece now opens with its cheapest Games housing plan in memory, a storm on the horizon, and the athletes' verdict already posted online.