Asian Games cricket teams to get hotels amid facility concerns

Cricketers competing at this month's Asian Games in Japan will be accommodated in hotels, putting them in a better position than athletes from several other sports amid concerns over stretched facilities and a shortage of five-star accommodation, the head of Japanese cricket said on Wednesday.

A Sri Lankan official said this week that some of Asia's top cricket teams had raised concerns over facilities and accommodation at the Games, which will be held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19.

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Cricket is a minor sport in Japan, with matches scheduled at a new purpose-built venue. Reports have said the ground will have tents serving as dressing rooms and washroom facilities located some distance away.

The Games do not have a dedicated athletes' village. Instead, organisers are using a mix of cabins aboard a cruise ship, rooms in temporary wooden containers and hotels to accommodate participants.

Organisers said last week that accommodation had already been stretched to the limit after the number of Asian Games athletes rose to 17,000, compared with around 11,000 at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The cricket tournament is being organised by the Asian Games organising committee in collaboration with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Naoki Alex Miyaji, CEO of the Japan Cricket Association, said the two bodies had been discussing accommodation options "for a long time".

"The participating teams in cricket are being offered hotel accommodation," Miyaji told AFP on Wednesday.

"Many other sports are being accommodated in much more limited facilities such as a cruise ship or container hotels."

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Cricket matches will be played at Korogi Sports Park, a converted baseball field around a 40-minute train ride from central Nagoya.

Media reports in India have said the country's cricket board was unhappy with the arrangements and could send a second-string squad after initially naming a 15-member team led by Shreyas Iyer and including 15-year-old rising star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Miyaji said Japanese organisers "only had 17 months to prepare and had to start from scratch" for cricket at the Games.

He said they had been working "to ensure that the best facilities are provided within the limited timeline and facility restrictions".

"Despite being temporary, the facilities will provide as comfortable a space as possible for the players and officials," he said.

Miyaji also sought to allay concerns over the playing surface, saying the pitch was being prepared by the curator of Sri Lanka's 35,000-capacity Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

"From what I have seen, the playing surface and field will be the best seen in cricket's inclusion in the Asian Games," he added.