Asian Games athletes stay on Costa Serena cruise ship

Asian Games athletes and officials are staying on the Costa Serena cruise ship in Nagoya, Japan, as organisers use a floating hotel instead of a traditional athletes' village.

The Italian-flagged ship, nearly 300 metres long and able to hold almost 4,000 people, is moored in Nagoya's port during the Aichi-Nagoya Games. It has 1,500 cabins and has been adapted for competitors, including with extra gym equipment.

Organisers did not build a standard athletes' village, saying the Games would use hotels, temporary wooden units and the ship for more than 17,000 athletes and officials. The event has faced complaints from teams about room shortages, unreliable buses and some cramped temporary units.

The Costa Serena appears to have avoided some of those accommodation complaints. Tom Stevens, a Canadian rowing coach with the Lebanon team, said the ship was “perfectly fine” and that food was plentiful, though he said transport and long travel times on land had caused issues.

Organisers have acknowledged long boarding times onto the ship earlier in the Games and blamed teams for not completing paperwork properly. They say the use of the ship could serve as a model for future multi-sport competitions.

Sajjad Anoushiravani, an official with Iran's weightlifters, described his stay on the ship as “fantastic”. After the Games, the Costa Serena is due to return to cruise service and travel to Buenos Aires by Christmas.