Athlete Villages To Return In Next Asian Games? OCA Confirms Restoration Of Old Accommodation System

The next two Asian Games in Doha and Riyadh will have dedicated Athletes' Village, Olympic Council of Asia Director General Husain Al Musallam declared on Friday but also defended this edition's host Japan's much-criticised decision to not have such a facility due to cost and sustainability considerations.

The Aichi-Nagoya Games, which open tomorrow, have drawn heavy criticism for accommodation chaos as athletes and officials have been scrambling to get rooms at the container-style huts and a docked cruise ship along with limited hotel rooms.

Al Musallam said the scale of the Games is massive with 17,000-plus athletes and support staff, along with another 5000 technical officials required to be accommodated.

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"Asian Games cannot be compared with events of any other continental federations," the Kuwaiti said.

Asked if building an Athletes Village would have been a better idea, now that the lack of accommodation has kicked up a controversy, Musallam said, "First of all, we wish we have an Athletes Village but we also have to be flexible. We also have to think about the cost of the Games.

"We need to listen to organisers, how they look for the future after the Games. It's very easy to insist on Athletes Village, you spent such amount of money to build it and then we need to see what's going to happen after the Games.

"Yes, an Athletes Village with a five-star (rating) is good but at the end of the day we need to be practical."

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Ikram said the upcoming editions of the Games in Doha (2030) and Riyadh (2034) will have an Athletes Village.

"For the next two Games, we are already having the Athletes Village. Doha has already inaugurated the Athletes Village. But the OCA will not have a very blind approach that we should have an Athletes Village. We have to take care of the legacy of that Village," he asserted.

On the increasing number of sports and athletes in the Asian Games over the years, the OCA DG said, "You cannot just talk about athletes and then put restriction or obstacle on their participation. I am supportive of the increase in the number of athletes, not decrease the athletes to support the sport.

"Because now with the current political crisis and conflicts in Asia and around the world, we need sport, the world needs sport at this moment more than anything else."