Why Indian Athletes Are Sleeping in Containers Before the Aichi-Nagoy…

The first night in Japan could be a little unusual for India’s athletes.

There will be no traditional athletes’ village at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, starting from September 19, so athletes will stay at different hotels and temporary accommodation, including container-based facilities. The arrangement is part of the organisers’ effort to avoid the cost and infrastructure involved in building a traditional village. orlando-books.blog

To tackle the unfamiliarity, the Sports Authority of India has created replicas of the accommodation at NIS Patiala and NCOE Bengaluru. Athletes stayed there overnight, taking turns, going through their normal morning routine and then heading to training. The exercise began on August 28 in Patiala.

Inside the Patiala facility, the approximately 40-foot-long container has four beds, cupboards, a pantry, refrigerator and washing machine. There are air conditioners and a washroom divided into separate toilet, shower and hand-wash areas. Storage space beneath the beds has been kept for the kit bags.

For most athletes, the room is perfectly manageable. But for some, especially the bigger athletes, space can be an issue.

Two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor, one of India’s biggest athletes physically as well as in terms of achievements, knows that better than most. The shot putter stands around 6ft 4in and weighs about 150kg.

He spent a night in the container and found the experience comfortable enough. But there was one useful lesson from it, and that was packing.

Toor realised that he would not need to carry as much as he had initially planned. Instead of travelling with two bags, he felt one should be enough.

That is exactly what SAI wants athletes to figure out now.

The purpose of the exercise is not to make athletes live in a container for the sake of it, but to remove those small, unfamiliar surprises before the Games.

Seema Kaliramna, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and discus thrower, also spent time in the container. The first night was not particularly comfortable for her. By the second night, she had adjusted and was able to sleep properly.

For an athlete, that adjustment matters, as proper sleep is the best form of recovery.

“Nine players have stayed in these containers so far. According to the roster, more players will spend time in containers. During COVID, the two containers were used for storing athletics and weightlifting equipment in Patiala. We took the decision to convert these two containers to accommodation facilities, similar to what athletes will get in Japan,” said Vineet Kumar, Senior Executive Director and Deputy Director General of NIS, to the Indian Express.

That is why the Sports Ministry has also tried to introduce athletes to another part of life in Japan — food.

At the Bengaluru centre, athletes have been exposed to Japanese food, including sushi. The idea is again to make something unfamiliar a little more familiar before they arrive in Japan.

Floating and Makeshift Accommodation at Asian Games

Without a conventional Games Village, 17,000 participating athletes will be housed in a decentralised accommodation system combining hotels, a cruise ship and temporary wooden accommodation units at Nagoya Port.

An Italian ship, Costa Serena, a 290.2-metre cruise ship, will be docked at Kinjo Pier in Nagoya Port and converted into a temporary hotel ship for the Games.

The vessel has around 1,500 cabins and will accommodate several thousand athletes and officials. Earlier Games planning documents put the capacity at 4,600 people. More recent reports have placed the number between 4,000 and 5,000.

It is scheduled to arrive in Nagoya on September 15, four days before the September 19 opening ceremony, and remain there until October 6.

The Costa Serena comes with restaurants, swimming pools, fitness facilities and recreation areas alongside the accommodation units.

Then there are the container homes.

Just 6.5 km away, at Garden Pier, Japan has created another temporary accommodation zone referred to as Asian Games Villas or mobile accommodation facilities.

Earlier plans called for 400 units accommodating up to 2,400 athletes and officials, but Japanese broadcaster CBC reports that 200 container-style houses were being installed, with around 2,000 people expected to stay there. By April, about 180 of the 200 units had reportedly been installed.

The accommodations are wooden, insulated and air-conditioned, with large windows and proper heating and cooling. Each unit is designed with rooms, bathrooms and beds, and ramps have also been incorporated.

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Melbourne [Australia], September 7 (ANI): Australia have announced a pace-heavy squad for next month’s three-match ICC World Test Championship series in South Africa, with batter Marnus Labuschagne’s retention being one of the highlights.

It will mark their first meeting since last year’s World Test Championship Final at Lord’s and will be pivotal in deciding which sides reach next year’s decider at The Oval, as per the ICC.

The Aussies have included all their experienced fast bowlers in the 16-player squad, while out-of-form batter Labuschagne is retained despite a lean recent run that has not seen the right-hander score a century since July 2023. Since 2023, the batter has averaged below 30 in the 22 matches played.

Labuschagne is included in a batting group that includes Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith and Cooper Connolly, while all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster also win a spot in the squad for the series that commences in Durban on October 9.

Three new players are added to the squad that missed out on the recent series at home against Bangladesh, with Connolly, Matthew Kuhnemann and Michael Neser the additions to the playing group as extra cover for the different conditions the Aussies are expecting in South Africa.

“This is a reasonably condensed three-game series, on the back of six one-day internationals, with only short breaks between each game," Chair of Selectors George Bailey said, as quoted by the ICC.

“The squad provides balance and options for each Test and the variety of conditions we may face."

The tour is the first time Australia have travelled to South Africa for a Test series since the infamous series in 2018, with just five players – skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Smith and Renshaw – having previously been included in a touring party.

Australia currently sit in first place on the World Test Championship standings, with reigning champions South Africa in second. Australia will enter the series after they tied 1-1 with Bangladesh earlier this month.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

Series schedule:

First Test: October 9-13, Durban

Second Test: October 18-22, Gqeberha

Third Test: October 27-31, Johannesburg. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Marnus Labuschagne has retained his place in Australia’s Test squad for the South Africa series, receiving continued support from selectors despite facing challenges in recent matches. Three fresh faces are introduced to the 16-member roster, enhancing Australia's mix of skills. This series is significant as it marks their first Test visit to South Africa since 2018, with the squad designed to adapt to diverse conditions.