Rising Costs, Material Shortages—And the Mobile Athletes’ Village Changing the 2026 Asian Games

Excellent insulation, airtightness, and heat resistance

With about one year remaining until the opening of the Asian Games & Asian Para Games (Aichi–Nagoya)—Asia’s largest sporting festival held once every four years and often called the “Asian Olympics”—a plan has emerged for an unprecedented mobile athletes’ village.

“Athletes’ accommodations were originally planned to be built on the former Nagoya Racecourse site. However, due to soaring prices and material shortages, construction costs were found to be twice the original estimate. The plan was dropped, and instead, about 50 hotels inside and outside the prefecture were to be used as lodging facilities.

But the OCA (Olympic Council of Asia) requested a review, saying the plan lacked sufficient concentration. As a result, the organizing committee announced a new plan: in addition to the previously proposed cruise ship that would accommodate around 4,000 people, they would install a mobile lodging facility for 2,000 people near the Garden Pier at Nagoya Port, where the cruise ship would dock.” (Local newspaper reporter)

The mobile lodging facility can essentially be understood as container-style housing.

Arch-Vision 21 Co., Ltd., which has provided temporary housing in areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, will manufacture the structural units and build the infrastructure. Major furniture company Nitori Co., Ltd. will be responsible for interior construction and supplying furniture, appliances, and bedding.

The JV (joint venture) formed by the two companies in late April is expected to provide an efficient and comfortable living environment by combining their respective strengths. In fact, both companies have demonstrated strong capabilities in numerous disaster-recovery and emergency-response situations.

A spokesperson for Arch-Vision 21 spoke about their past achievements:

“For emergency temporary housing after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, we provided approximately 500 units, as well as related facilities such as dormitories and community halls.

In past emergency responses, we supplied 70 units after the 2020 Kyushu floods and 210 beds for COVID-19 treatment facilities in 2022, totaling more than 700 units.”

Meanwhile, Nitori has also accumulated extensive experience in supporting disaster-affected areas through furniture and interior solutions.

“We have provided furniture and interiors for disaster recovery and emergency medical facilities managed by local governments.

The mobile lodging facility being introduced this time features high insulation, airtightness, and durability—characteristics developed in Hokkaido.

We aim to create warm, wood-accented spaces that allow athletes to relax both physically and mentally.” (Nitori Public Relations)

A sustainable athletes’ village

A mobile lodging facility on this scale is unprecedented in international sporting events. A spokesperson for the organizing committee described both its potential and its challenges as follows:

“From a sustainability standpoint, it is highly effective, and after the Games it can be reused as emergency temporary housing, contributing to improved disaster preparedness.

Through its use at the Asian and Asian Para Games, we aim to develop a model with high accessibility—such as barrier-free design—and apply it toward realizing an inclusive society.

There are concerns such as ‘Will there be a gap in comfort between the cruise ship and the mobile facility?’ We are currently examining ways to ensure that athletes and team officials participating in the same events will have accommodations of the same standard.”

The mobile lodging facility will be installed at Garden Pier, located at the center of Nagoya Port. Although it is a relatively open area, details regarding security have not been disclosed. Measures will also be required to address the concentration issue pointed out by the OCA.

“Security details are withheld for confidentiality reasons, but we are coordinating with relevant organizations to establish an appropriate security system for safe and smooth event operations.

The mobile facility will be about 6.5 km from the cruise ship, but by transporting athletes and officials via shuttle bus, we expect to resolve the need for a centralized space where athletes can interact.”(same spokesperson)

Sustainability, barrier-free access, and disaster readiness—this unprecedented mobile athletes’ village is poised not only to support the 2026 Asian and Asian Para Games, but also to influence the future of international sports events and disaster-response infrastructure.