09/15/26 10:41:00
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09/15 03:45 CDT All aboard. The Asian Games will lodge thousands of athletes on
an Italian cruise ship
All aboard. The Asian Games will lodge thousands of athletes on an Italian
cruise ship
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) --- All Aboard.
The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena that will house up to 5,000 officials and
athletes for the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, received its official welcome on
Tuesday at Kinjo Pier in the host city.
The 16-day games open Saturday and run through Oct. 4.
Without a dedicated athletes village, officials are using the cruise ship,
hotels and converted containers to house more than 11,000 athletes. That's more
than the 10,700 athletes who attended the Paris Olympics in 2024.
"So, today our ship becomes more than a destination," ship Captain Federico
Sias said at the Tuesday ceremony. "It becomes home where athletes and guests
from across Asia can come together in the spirit of friendship, mutual respect
and unity."
Officials have not released an official count of athletes, but the number could
match the 12,000 that participated three years ago in the games in Hangzhou,
China.
The Asian Games, first held in 1951 in New Delhi, India, includes 45 countries
and regions and 43 sports --- many Olympic disciplines and a few regional
specialties.
To adjust to the limited space, many teams are expected to stagger arrivals of
athletes and officials. Athletes in early events will leave and make way for
others.
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See full AP coverage of Asian sports here
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