Al-Musallam rejects calls to cap participants despite accommodation concerns

NAGOYA: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) chief has said he would have preferred an athletes’ village at the Asian Games in Japan, while also suggesting that future editions of the event could accommodate even more athletes.

The continent’s biggest multi-sport event is set to open in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture on Saturday, but organisers have faced several challenges ahead of the Games.

More than 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to participate, creating significant pressure on accommodation. The number of participants is even higher than at the Olympics.

No athletes’ village in Japan

To reduce costs, organisers did not build a traditional athletes’ village. Instead, participants have been placed in hotels, temporary wooden accommodation and a cruise ship.

Some teams have raised concerns about the quality of their accommodation, including complaints about beds being too short.

OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam said organisers needed to remain practical and ensure that the Asian Games were financially sustainable.

He said having an athletes’ village would be preferable, but organisers also needed flexibility when planning future editions.

Al-Musallam said building a village requires significant investment and organisers must consider how the facilities would be used after the Games end.

South Korean officials said earlier this week that there was a serious shortage of accommodation, while officials from the Philippines said they had used Airbnb to accommodate some members of their delegation.

However, Al-Musallam said every accredited athlete, official and coach had accommodation.

“There is no single accredited person without accommodation,” he said.

Participant numbers continue to grow

Local organisers initially expected around 15,000 athletes and officials but later faced higher numbers. They had previously said they lacked the manpower and budget to handle the increase.

The OCA also expanded the sporting programme by adding teqball and padel in March.

Asian Games official Mohammad Tayyab Ikram said on Friday that participation had reached more than 17,000 people, excluding technical officials.

The accommodation difficulties have led to suggestions that future Asian Games could introduce a limit on the number of participants.

Al-Musallam, however, said he supported increasing the number of athletes rather than reducing it.

He said sport was particularly important at a time of political crises and conflicts in Asia and other parts of the world.

Doha to host 2030 Asian Games

The Asian Games will next be held in Doha in 2030.

Al-Musallam also said six countries, including India and the Philippines, had shown interest in hosting the 2034 edition.

He said the interest from several countries demonstrated the popularity of the Asian Games.