Costa Serena tapped as temporary Asian Games accommodation
Organisers planned to house thousands of athletes aboard the Italian cruise ship as part of a cost-saving strategy without a dedicated athletes’ village.
Asian Games organisers planned to use Costa Serena, temporary container-style huts and hotels to accommodate competitors and officials because the event did not have a purpose-built athletes’ village.
The Italian cruise ship was hired as temporary lodging in an effort to limit accommodation costs. Organisers expected between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes to stay aboard, while about 2,000 additional athletes and officials were due to use wooden, shipping container-style units.
Costa Serena was described as having 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars. The ship’s onboard facilities would form part of the temporary housing arrangements during the event.
Officials said they were confident Japan’s typhoon season would not interfere with the plan, despite the season typically being active during September and October.