India takes unusual approach to prepare for Asian Games
Collected Photo
India has taken an unusual initiative to help its athletes adjust to a different type of accommodation at the upcoming Asian Games. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has built temporary cabins resembling shipping containers and arranged for athletes to stay there briefly. The setup is similar to the accommodation they will use in Japan.
The Asian Games will be held in Nagoya and Aichi, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. To reduce costs, organizers will not set up a conventional athletes’ village this time.
Instead, more than 17,000 athletes and officials will stay on cruise ships and at various hotels. In addition, temporary wooden accommodation will be arranged for around 2,000 participants.
Before traveling to Japan, SAI has built similar cabins in Patiala and Bengaluru to help Indian athletes adjust to the environment. The country’s athletes will stay in these cabins for one or two nights before leaving for Japan.
Speaking to AFP in Patiala, SAI Deputy Director General Vineet Kumar said, “These containers are a kind of simulator. Such accommodation has never been used before in the history of the Asian Games or the Olympics. We have specifically built this so that our athletes do not suddenly feel uncomfortable or experience claustrophobia when staying in such accommodation in Japan.”
Each container built in India is about 40 feet or 12 meters long and 8 feet wide. It has four beds, two air conditioning units, a refrigerator, a table for storage, a toilet, a washroom and a washing machine. Photos of the cabins prepared for athletes in Japan also show almost similar facilities.
