{
  "id": 7617021,
  "title": "Asian Games: Will everyone have a bed?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/asian-games-will-everyone-have-a-bed",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-15T19:08:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/other-sports/asian-games-set-for-liftoff-but-will-have-everyone-have-a-bed/articleshow/134272434.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Asian Games, a continent's largest sporting event, kicked off in Nagoya, Japan on Saturday. With a record-breaking 17,000 athletes and officials expected to participate, the Games are set to run until October 4th. Organizers, initially anticipating 15,000 participants, have had to find innovative accommodation solutions to cope with the overwhelming numbers. One such solution involves housing athletes on the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, a ship typically accommodating 571 passengers, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants, and nine bars. India has even constructed wooden container huts to prepare their athletes for the stay. Despite the unconventional accommodations, organizers assure that every athlete will have a bed and remain confident despite the looming threat of typhoon season. Rain has already disrupted preparations, causing evacuation from temporary accommodations earlier in the week, and more rain is forecasted this week. Competitors from 45 countries and territories will vie for glory in more than 40 sports, including novel additions like eSports, breakdancing, BMX cycling, padel, and MMA. The Games also serve as qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics across seven sports including surfing, tennis, archery, and squash. Notable participants include Philippine tennis star Alexandra Eala, India's cricket prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi. Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics amidst a gender controversy, will also compete. Host nation Japan aims to replicate its Olympic success with top athletes such as gymnast Shinnosuke Oka and javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi. North Korea, aiming to boost morale, will field over 100 athletes in 14 sports. China, aiming to top the medal tally, will send over 800 athletes, including 36 Olympic champions.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}