NAGOYA, Japan — Forget the traditional athletes’ village. For some members of Team Singapore, the road to the 2026 Asian Games begins aboard a 290-metre cruise ship docked at Nagoya Port.
Singapore’s women’s water polo team, along with athletes from sports including wushu and table tennis, are among those staying aboard the Costa Serena, an Italian cruise ship being used as a temporary floating accommodation facility for thousands of athletes and officials during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The unusual arrangement comes after organisers decided against building a conventional athletes’ village for the Games, instead using a combination of the cruise ship, hotels and temporary wooden container-style accommodation across the host region.
For Singapore athletes, the experience has been markedly different from previous major Games.
“It’s quite a new experience for us,” Singapore women’s water polo captain Abielle Yeo told CNA, noting that her team had never previously stayed in an athletes’ village on a ship.
A cruise ship instead of a traditional athletes’ village
The Costa Serena arrived at Nagoya’s Kinjo Pier on Sept 15 and is expected to accommodate roughly 4,000 to 5,000 athletes and officials, with occupants rotating according to competition schedules.
The decision forms part of the organisers’ effort to avoid constructing a large, permanent athletes’ village that could become underused after the Games.
Reuters reported that around 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions are expected at the 2026 Asian Games, which officially run from Sept 19 to Oct 4. The Games feature 43 sports and 469 medal events.
The accommodation strategy, however, has attracted considerable attention.
South Korean officials have complained about conditions in some temporary container-style rooms, including beds they said were too short, while reports have also highlighted shortages and last-minute accommodation adjustments involving some delegations.
Organisers have said they are working to address concerns and maintain accommodation for all participating delegations.
Singapore athletes say the ship has its advantages
Despite the headlines surrounding accommodation problems, Singapore’s athletes staying aboard the Costa Serena have so far described their experience positively.
Table tennis player Chloe Lai said she was pleasantly surprised by the size of the rooms.
The athletes also have access to the ship’s communal facilities and buffet-style dining areas, with Singapore’s chef de mission Goh Kee Nguan saying athletes were settling in well and that the food had been well received.
For water polo athletes in particular, the availability of food throughout the day could prove useful during an intense competition schedule.
Yeo noted that at previous major Games, athletes sometimes returned to their accommodation outside normal meal times and had to rely on takeaway food. The ship’s dining facilities provide a different option.
The ship is also stationary while being used as accommodation, meaning athletes do not have to deal with seasickness. Some Singapore athletes had packed motion-sickness medication as a precaution, but so far it has not been necessary.
The bigger challenge: Getting athletes where they need to be
The floating accommodation also comes with logistical challenges.
Singapore wushu exponent Chia Kai Ming told The Straits Times that his room was relatively small and did not have a window. He also said his journey to the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall takes around 40 minutes by bus, requiring athletes to factor additional travel time into their preparation.
That logistical complexity is a defining feature of these Asian Games.
Unlike a traditional Games village where athletes, dining facilities and many competition venues are concentrated in one area, the Aichi-Nagoya event is spread across multiple locations. Some competitions are being staged outside Aichi, including swimming, diving and equestrian events in Tokyo.
Weather has added another layer of uncertainty
Accommodation has not been the only challenge facing the Games.
Earlier this month, record rainfall in Nagoya forced hundreds of athletes staying in temporary accommodation to evacuate briefly. Around 104mm of rain fell in one hour on Sept 8, causing flooding, transport disruption and an evacuation order in parts of the city.
Rainwater also entered some competition venues, although local officials said the damage was limited and that preparations for the Games could continue.
Organisers have also prepared contingency measures for the cruise ship in the event of severe weather, including the possibility of moving it offshore if conditions become dangerous.
That makes the Costa Serena more than simply an unusual hotel: its location and mobility form part of the organisers’ wider contingency planning.
Team Singapore arrives with 304 athletes
Against that unusual backdrop, Singapore is sending 304 athletes across 27 sports to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
According to Sport Singapore, close to two-thirds of the contingent are making their Asian Games debuts. The team combines established names such as Shanti Pereira, Ryan Lo, Stephenie Chen and Amita Berthier with a large group of younger athletes competing at the continental Games for the first time.
As of Sept 18, 102 Singapore athletes from 11 sports had arrived in Nagoya, while 29 swimmers were based in Tokyo, according to Singapore’s chef de mission.
The Games officially open on Sept 19 and run until Oct 4, although selected competitions began earlier.
From cruise-ship cabins to the competition arena
For Singapore’s athletes, the novelty of sleeping aboard a cruise ship is likely to become secondary once competition begins.
The priority is preparation, recovery and performance — regardless of whether an athlete returns after a long day to a conventional hotel, a temporary accommodation unit or a cabin aboard the Costa Serena.
And for Team Singapore, the unusual setting could ultimately become one of the most memorable stories of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
For now, the ship remains firmly docked in Nagoya.
But with thousands of athletes arriving, competitions spread across multiple Japanese cities and weather conditions still being closely monitored, the biggest test may not be how Singapore’s athletes adapt to life on a cruise ship — but how well everyone can keep moving when the Games themselves get into full swing.
