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The Costa Serena cruise ship sailed into Nagoya, Japan on Tuesday, ready to accommodate thousands of athletes and officials for the upcoming Asian Games. The massive vessel, almost 300 meters long and weighing over 100,000 tonnes, boasts 1,500 cabins to house around 4,000 athletes and officials. As the Games, slated to open on Saturday, are expected to host more than 17,000 participants, the ship's arrival marks a new approach to temporary accommodation for large-scale international sporting events.

Organizers hope that the use of the cruise ship, chartered for a cost of approximately 4.5 billion yen (US$28 million), will set a precedent for financially sustainable housing solutions at major athletic events. This marks the first time Japan has employed a cruise ship for such a purpose, with the ship previously utilized for similar purposes at international sporting events.

However, the accommodation on the Costa Serena has drawn complaints from athletes, particularly those from South Korea. The South Korean team's basketball players have expressed dissatisfaction with their quarters, citing beds that are too small and issues such as leaking sinks and soaked floors. A member of the team even posted a video of the conditions in his hut on social media, pleading for assistance.

The concerns over the accommodations extend beyond the South Korean team, with officials from all 45 competing countries reporting similar issues. A South Korean Sports and Olympic Committee official confirmed that a serious shortage of rooms is being experienced, and a Taiwanese sports official reported a general shortage of beds across the board.

South Korean officials have described the container-style huts provided as the "worst ever," and the Games' president Hideaki Omura acknowledged that these temporary accommodations could serve as a model for financially sustainable sporting events in the future. Despite the typhoon season in Japan, organizers remain optimistic that the cruise ship will provide a comfortable, safe, and memorable experience for the athletes, marking it as more than just a destination, but a gathering place for unity and mutual respect among competitors from across Asia.