Containers measuring 12 meters in length and 2.5 meters in width have been installed at an Indian national training center.
Inside the containers, there are beds, air conditioners, and washing machines instead of cargo.
The people staying in these marine shipping containers converted into accommodations are none other than Indian national athletes.
Athletes of the Indian national team, preparing for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, are staying in temporary accommodations made from modified containers.
Indian media outlets, including The Indian Express, reported that because the organizing committee is not operating an athletes' village to cut costs for the upcoming Asian Games opening on the 19th, cruise ships, hotels, and containers are being utilized as lodgings, and Indian athletes are undergoing adaptation training for this arrangement.
The National Institute of Sports (NIS) in India confirmed the temporary accommodation type through an on-site inspection in Japan, and built accommodation facilities similar to the local lodgings by utilizing containers that were purchased for storing equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, nine athletes are undergoing adaptation training in the containers, and more athletes are scheduled to experience container living before the official delegation departs.
Seema Punia, an Indian national discus thrower, said, "I naturally thought we would live in an athletes' village, so I was surprised to hear we have to stay in a container." Tajinderpal Singh Toor, a national shot putter standing over 190 cm tall, also shared his experience, saying, "It might pose a problem for athletes with large physiques like mine."
In addition, as the competition's organizing committee will not operate an athletes' village cafeteria, Indian authorities have reportedly decided to provide sushi to the athletes about once a day, aligning the training center's menu with Japanese cuisine in addition to the lodgings.
Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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