Byun Jun-hyeong said, "Help me," and Lee Hyun-joong also said, "It's tough"... Japanese media acknowledges: "A structure that inevitably causes discomfort," harshly criticizing the AG athletes' village as "the worst in history"

*This content was translated by AI.

With the official opening of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games approaching, controversy surrounding the athletes' accommodations shows no sign of subsiding. While Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team players directly voiced their discomfort, Japanese media also focused intensively on the substandard lodging conditions.

Japan's Live Door News reported on the 14th (Korea time) that "China criticized the Asian Games athletes' village, asking whether it is an 'athletes' village or a refugee camp.'"

The outlet provided a detailed account of the actual conditions at the container-type temporary athletes' village established at Nagoya Port.

Originally, the organizing committee planned to construct a formal athletes' village on the site but canceled the plan and decided to utilize temporary lodging facilities instead.

The organizing committee plans to distribute accommodation for approximately 2,000 team members across about 200 container-type lodging units, house around 4,000 people on the large cruise ship "Costa Serena" docked at Nagoya Port, and accommodate approximately 9,000 people in hotels within Nagoya city.

The outlet explained that "the organizing committee cited reasons such as reducing the cost of hosting the event and enhancing sustainability."

However, lodging issues emerged as more participants arrived than expected. The number of participants, initially estimated at around 15,000, increased to approximately 17,000 due to factors such as the addition of official events.

Live Door News pointed out that "forcing the existing lodging facilities to accommodate more participants than expected caused significant confusion surrounding accommodation."

On top of that, the accommodation environment itself came under scrutiny. In particular, male basketball players directly voiced their discomfort. Although the official opening of the Asian Games is scheduled for the 19th, the men's basketball tournament began its group stage earlier due to the competition schedule. South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Japan in succession, recording three consecutive victories and advancing to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group A.

The Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team is also living in the controversial container-type accommodation. The situation revealed by the players shows numerous problems.

Earlier, Byun Jun-hyeong shared footage on his SNS on the 11th showing water continuously leaking from the washbasin in the accommodation's restroom. Water was pooling heavily on the floor. Along with the video, Byun Jun-hyeong left a post saying, "Help me."

Key player Lee Hyun-joong of the national team also did not hide his difficulties regarding life in the accommodation, stating, "It's tough, but there's nothing we can do even if we complain."

The container-type lodging facilities are approximately 21 pyeong in size per unit, with up to six people living in each.

In particular, in sports like basketball where there are many tall players, the bed issue is inevitably felt strongly. Live Door News reported that "the length of a single bed is 195 cm" and added, "While extension mattresses can be connected, it is an uncomfortable structure for basketball players whose height is around 2 meters." For Lee Hyun-joong, who stands at 202 cm, the standard bed length is shorter than his own height.

It is not just South Korea. Strong complaints about the accommodation also erupted from the Chinese national team. As it became known that three players from the Chinese Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team share a room and use shared restrooms and shower facilities, criticism continued in China as well.

Earlier, Chinese media correspondent Zao Tan had stated, "It is really too severe," after revealing the accommodation conditions of the Chinese Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team.

Reports indicate that athletes' anxiety has grown further due to heavy rains recently hitting Japan. Zao Tan said, "Heavy rain fell in Nagoya causing leaks at venues and other locations, and the national team was unable to conduct any training for a day," adding, "Players were even worried that the containers might be washed away by the heavy rain."

Chinese fans also expressed critical reactions such as, "It is too severe to treat athletes this way," "Water is leaking into the venues due to the heavy rain," and "It looks just like a refugee camp."

Live Door News also highlighted the damage caused by the heavy rain. The outlet reported that "from the 8th to the 9th, torrential rain exceeding 100 mm per hour poured down, causing a commotion where about 400 athletes staying in containers had to evacuate urgently."

It further explained that "footage of Indonesian players lying directly on the floor of a high-rise parking lot to avoid the heavy rain also spread via SNS" and noted that "leakage damage occurred successively at some venues as well."

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*This content was translated by AI.