2,000 Indian Residents in Japan on Standby to House Asian Games Athletes Amid Accommodation Crunch

Indian families living in Japan have stepped forward, offering to house Asian Games athletes should accommodation in Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture fall short, officials said on Saturday, September 19. The 2026 Asian Games is already underway in Japan, though the build-up to the competition has been marred by accommodation troubles. In a bid to cut costs, Japan chose not to build an Athletes’ Village  the standard accommodation setup for all athletes and travelling entourages at such mega events worldwide  opting instead for a mix of hotel rooms, temporary wooden container-style huts and a cruise ship.

However, many of the 17,000 athletes and officials who have arrived in Japan for the Games have voiced concerns over their allocated temporary accommodation, saying the rooms are too cramped to store their kits, with the beds proving equally undersized.

With nearly 500 Indian athletes competing at the Games, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has already relocated several from the container huts into hotels, while also drawing up contingency plans in case the room shortage worsens as more competitors and support staff arrive in the coming days.

“We have booked hotels for our athletes here,” Sahdev Yadav, India’s chef de mission at the Asian Games and the IOA’s treasurer, told AFP. “But if the hotel rooms fall short, then yes, we have Indian households here on standby to accommodate the athletes. They are all more than happy to welcome the stars at their homes.”

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According to an AFP report, the Indian embassy in Japan has reached out to around 2,000 Indian residents across the two regions, several of whom have expressed willingness to offer their homes as accommodation for the athletes. Organisers have defended the arrangement as safe, cost-effective and comfortable, adding that Japan deserves credit for attempting a different approach.

Indian Cricket at Asian Games

The Indian women’s cricket team has arrived in Japan for their scheduled knockout matches, having already defeated hosts Japan by eight wickets in the quarterfinal. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will take on Bangladesh in the second semifinal on Sunday, September 20, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka face off in the first semifinal.

Meanwhile, the Indian men’s team will begin their Asian Games campaign on September 28, with both Indian sides expected to challenge for gold in their respective competitions.