NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has backed Japan's approach to staging the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, saying the event could provide a model for reducing costs while maintaining suitable conditions for athletes.
Speaking at a roundtable at the Main Press Center on Saturday, OCA President Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani and Director General Husain Al Musallam also highlighted the growing role of esports and the continued expansion of the Asian Games.
Sheikh Joaan said Japan had faced challenges in preparing for the Games but praised the host for working with the OCA and other partners to address them.
"We are very pleased to be inviting Japan for another historic Games," Sheikh Joaan said. "Japan has a very proud and successful sporting history, and we are sure that these Games will bring about that legacy."
He said the key was not the absence of challenges but how they were handled.
"We are grateful to our friends in Japan for the way in which they have worked to find solutions to overcome problems," he said.
The OCA president said the Games were ultimately about providing athletes with the best possible environment in which to compete and inspiring young people across Asia.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games have adopted an accommodation model that differs from the traditional centralized Athletes' Village. Al Musallam said the approach could become an example for future multi-sport events seeking to control costs and make better use of existing infrastructure.
"Everyone talks about the cost of the Games and how the Games should be managed. And then Japan comes up with a new idea and tries something where there is no Athletes' Village," Al Musallam said.
He said the OCA's priority was to ensure that athletes had appropriate accommodation, transportation, food and other services, while also considering how investments would be used after the Games.
According to Al Musallam, about 6,200 beds are available between a cruise ship and a temporary village, allowing athletes to live together and interact. Other athletes are staying in hotels close to competition venues in Tokyo, Osaka and other cities.
"We have to find solutions for the athletes for their comfort, not to travel long, so we choose hotels closer to the venue," he said.
"What Japan have done here, and Aichi-Nagoya and Olympic Council of Asia, could be the future example for the cost-reduction of multi-sport events such as the Asian Games."
The OCA also emphasized the growing importance of esports and mind sports as the Asian Games evolve.
Sheikh Joaan said esports reflected the interests and ambitions of a growing number of young people across Asia, describing the continent as the world's largest market for the sector.
"We need to give that stage for the athletes to perform," he said.
Al Musallam said the OCA Executive Board had recently announced the allocation of esports and mind sports for future Asian Games.
"Definitely there is demand, and our duty and responsibility (is) to take this demand and put it to the test," he said.
Sheikh Joaan said the growing size of the Asian Games was not expected to deter potential host cities. Doha is scheduled to host the 2030 Games and Riyadh the 2034 edition, while he said several cities were interested in hosting the 2038 Games and later editions.
"There are a lot of cities down the pipeline that want to host the Asian Games," he said.
The Games bring together about 11,000 athletes and more than 6,000 coaches and officials from 45 countries and regions. ■
