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Asian Games chiefs say room for everyone amid accommodation crunch
Asian Games organisers said Friday that all participants at next month's event would have a place to stay after numbers ballooned to more than 17,000, raising fears of a bed shortage.
About 15,000 athletes and officials were initially expected at the Games, which are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4.
That was already more than the Olympics, but the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) last week put the number at 17,000 -- 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials.
There is no dedicated athletes' village, organisers instead relying on a cruise ship, temporary wooden containers and hotels.
In March, the OCA added teqball and padel to the sporting programme.
Organising committee president Hideaki Omura said earlier this week that they had "neither the manpower nor the budget to make the necessary arrangements" for extra participants.
"If they still wish to come, they will have to make their own arrangements," said Omura, who also serves as the governor of Aichi Prefecture.
A joint statement from the organising committee and the OCA said accommodation had been found.
"All the 17,000+ athletes and officials that are registered for the Asian Games before the closing of Entry by Name in July have been provided with Games-appropriate accommodation," the statement said.
"Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no further registrations have been or will be permitted."
A statement issued only in the name of the organising committee also on Friday said that the number of participants "fluctuates daily" and had not yet been finalised.
They also acknowledged that "it is now anticipated that the number of delegation members will exceed 15,000".
Organisers have opted for temporary athlete accommodation to cut costs, hiring the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena for the event.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, while a further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in the shipping container-style huts.
The rest will be in hotels, including in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.
The local organising committee said reports that they were looking to reduce the number of participants were not true.
Instead, they said, "certain team officials would arrange their own accommodation".
Officials are confident that the plan will not be disrupted by Japan's typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.
"The final preparations are all on track and progressing smoothly ahead of what promises to be the most spectacular Asian Games held for generations," the organising committee and the OCA said in a joint statement.
S.Jackson--SFF
