Cricketers promised top accommodation at Asian Games

Cricket players competing at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan will be provided with hotel accommodation, with organisers saying they will receive better lodging than athletes from many other sports.

The assurance comes as concerns grow over accommodation and facilities for athletes competing at the Games, which begin in Nagoya and the wider Aichi region on September 19.

A Sri Lankan official said this week that several leading Asian cricket teams had expressed concerns about the standard of facilities and accommodation available during the event.

Cricket remains a relatively minor sport in Japan, and its matches will be staged at Korogi Sports Park, a converted baseball venue about 40 minutes by train from central Nagoya.

Reports have raised concerns about the temporary nature of some facilities at the ground, including tents being used as changing rooms and toilets located some distance from the playing area.

Unlike the Olympic Games, there will be no dedicated athletes' village. Instead, organisers are accommodating competitors in a mixture of cruise-ship cabins, temporary wooden container rooms and hotels.

The accommodation situation has become particularly challenging after the expected number of Asian Games athletes increased to about 17,000 - significantly more than the roughly 11,000 athletes who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Naoki Alex Miyaji, chief executive of the Japan Cricket Association, said cricket officials had been working with the Asian Games organising committee and the Asian Cricket Council for an extended period to secure suitable accommodation.

"The participating teams in cricket are being offered hotel accommodation," Miyaji said.

He noted that athletes competing in many other sports would be housed in more limited facilities, including cruise ships and container-style accommodation.

The arrangements have reportedly caused concern within Indian cricket, with media reports suggesting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been unhappy with the facilities and could reconsider its plans to send its strongest squad.

India had initially selected a 15-player squad led by Shreyas Iyer, with teenage batting prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, aged 15, also included.

Miyaji acknowledged the challenges involved in establishing cricket facilities for the Games, saying organisers had only 17 months to prepare for the sport's inclusion and had effectively been required to start from scratch.

He said organisers had worked to deliver the best possible facilities despite restrictions on time and available venues.

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

There is also confidence that the playing surface will meet international standards.

The pitch is being prepared by the curator responsible for Sri Lanka's 35,000-seat Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Miyaji said the quality of the ground could make the cricket tournament one of the most impressive staged at an Asian Games.

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