Indonesian Athletes to Stay on Cruise Ships for 2026 Asian Games

Some Indonesian athletes who are fighting in the 2026 Asian Games multi-branch sports festival are confirmed to stay or occupy the athlete village (athlete village) of a cruise ship that is docked at Nagoya Port. Todotua Pasaribu as Chef de Mission (CdM) of the Indonesian Contingent said that the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee (AINAGOC) as the organizer had considered various aspects to maintain the comfort of athletes during the event even though they stayed with the floating concept. "Starting from accommodation, consumption, supporting facilities, to the transportation system to the match venue. We see that the preparations made are very serious so that athletes can still carry out activities comfortably," said Todotua in an official statement received. The concept of this cruise ship accommodation is one of the things that attracted attention in the prestigious event. Therefore, in order to ensure the comfort of Indonesian athletes, the CdM team decided to make a direct inspection to Japan and communicate with AINAGOC. Todotua emphasized that whatever form of athlete village the host prepared for their guests, his team's focus was to ensure that Indonesian athletes received the best service so that they could concentrate fully on the match. "For us, the most important thing is not whether the athletes live on land or on a cruise ship, but how they get a comfortable environment to rest, recover, and prepare for the match. Athletes should not be distracted by things outside the competition," he said. In addition to ensuring the readiness of accommodation, the CdM team is also continuing to perfect coordination related to the mobilization of the Indonesian Contingent because the match venue for the 2026 Asian Games is spread across a number of cities in Aichi Prefecture and its surroundings. Todotua said that various operational scenarios had also been prepared so that the athletes' journey to the competition arena would be effective and not interfere with performance. "We will continue to coordinate until the day of the event. Our goal is simple, namely to ensure that all Indonesian athletes can compete in the best condition and only focus on delivering achievements for the Red-White," he said. The 2026 Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan. There are approximately 46 countries in the Asian region competing in the event. Indonesia is likely to send as many as 420 athletes from 32 sports with the target of securing four gold medals. This number is down from the previous edition's achievement because there are Indonesian mainstay numbers that are not contested.