According to Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun on the 24th, the organizing committee of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held a press conference in Nagoya that day. Regarding the complaints from overseas athletes about the container accommodation facilities, where they mentioned that “the beds were too narrow and it was difficult to stretch their legs”, the organizing committee explained that “footrests have been provided in each room for those who need them”. They also stated that “if there are any additional requests, alternative facilities will be used to meet those needs”.
The organizing committee stated that the length of the bed is 195 centimeters, and if used with a footrest, it can be extended to about 230 centimeters.
Japanese CBC TV visited and found gray footstools at the end of each bed.
Due to the increase in construction materials and labor costs, the Athletes' Village was not built during this Asian Games. Instead, cruise ships, hotels, and container houses were used as accommodation facilities. Apart from the cruise ships, these accommodation facilities will also be used during the Asian Paralympic Games.
The organizing committee emphasized: "While ensuring the comfort of the athletes, we will try to reduce the environmental impact and future financial burdens as much as possible. This is an attempt to move the accommodation model for large international sports events in a more sustainable direction."
Regarding external criticism that container houses are "too narrow," the organizing committee explained: "This is the maximum size that can be transported by truck. We decided to adopt this solution after considering factors such as the number of people accommodated and sustainability."
The organizing committee also stated: "Athletes have different body types and needs, so we will adapt our approach to ensure their satisfaction as much as possible."
Additionally, according to the organizing committee, there are at least two or three cases where athletes fail to arrive at the competition venues on time every day.
The organizing committee stated that there were instances where buses arrived near the accommodation facilities, but the athletes did not appear, resulting in the vehicles being ‘empty’ and running around.
In response to this, the organizing committee stated that they will further strengthen their measures, including prominently displaying the departure time in large characters on the warning boards.
