What’s the Asian Games accommodation crisis, and where will athletes stay?

Nagoya, Japan is set to host the Asian Games, a multi-sport event with over 17,000 athletes and officials in attendance. Due to budget constraints, competitors are staying in temporary accommodations, including hotels, huts, and a cruise ship named Costa Serena. However, the ship is now the focal point of concern as a typhoon could disrupt the Games.

Last week, record rainfall forced players to evacuate the huts, and several teams have expressed dissatisfaction with the sleeping arrangements. On Thursday, weather forecasters predicted a typhoon could hit Japan on Sunday or Monday, posing a threat to the thousands of athletes on the cruise ship. "All we can do is to pray that the worst-case scenario will not happen," said an unnamed sports federation official, quoted by The Asahi Shimbun.

The arrival of the storm is uncertain, but one potential consequence would be the evacuation of the cruise ship from the port area. September and October are typhoon seasons in Japan, and recent heavy rains have caused disruptions, such as the cancellation of a women's cricket match between China and Bangladesh due to four inches of rain in an hour.

Local officials had previously ordered evacuations due to the flooding. Climate change is contributing to the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in Japan and other parts of the world.