‘Bed too short'—After cricketers, South Korea athletes point out poor accommodation in ‘worst-ever’ Asian Games

Several athletes have raised concerns about the Asian Games facilities

Members of the South Korean contingent have severely criticised the accommodations and facilities provided to the athletes at the Asian Games 2026, branding them the “worst-ever”.

The Aichi-Nagoya Games have faced a shortage of rooms, with more than 17,000 athletes and officials expected to attend for the continental tournament. Surprisingly, the host cities have opted not to build a dedicated athletes’ village to cut down on costs.

Instead, the athletes have been allotted small beds in shipping container-style huts. This has caused inconvenience for athletes, especially basketball players, who are often taller than average and are reportedly unable to stretch their legs on the beds.

Although the Games are officially scheduled to start on September 19, the basketball and football events have already started.

Jung Jae-yong, vice president of the Korea Basketball Association, revealed that he was unsatisfied with the tiny cabins provided to the men’s basketball team. The huts are expected to house 2,000 athletes and officials during the tournament.

“Based on my experience, this is the worst it has ever been,” Jung told AFP. “Athletes who are over two metres tall cannot even stretch their legs out on the beds. It’s unreasonable.”

“The organisers have still not said anything,” he added. “We are very concerned and discussing extensively with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee what to do about this.”

South Korean basketball player Byun Jun-hyung took to Instagram to post a video of a leaking sink and a soaked floor inside his Asian Games hut, writing, “Please help us”.

Also Read: What is the accommodation controversy at Asian Games 2026? All you need to know

Cricketers raise accommodation issue

The Korean basketball officials are not the first to flag the accommodation issue at the Asian Games 2026. Earlier, during an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Bangkok, representatives of major Test-playing nations, including India, complained about the housing provided to the cricketers.

According to media reports, the accommodation issue was so severe that the Indian sports authorities built replica container accommodation for athletes to acclimatise to before travelling to Japan.

To accommodate the increased number of athletes and officials, the Asian Games organisers are relying on a combination of temporary wooden cabins, hotels, and the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena to house participants.

A South Korean Olympic committee official told AFP that the accommodation shortage affected almost all delegations.

“At the moment there is a serious shortage of accommodation not only for the entire South Korean delegation at the Asian Games, but for delegations from around the world in the Aichi-Nagoya area,” the official said.

Abraham Tolentino, president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, revealed that “some officials, like coaches, were moved to different hotels and Airbnb”, although he confirmed that the athletes have been provided rooms.

Between four and five thousand athletes are expected to stay on the Costa Serena cruise ship, which is due to arrive in Nagoya on Tuesday. The remaining athletes will stay in hotels in several cities, including in Tokyo.

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