Sawt Falasteen - All aboard as Asian Games preparations enter 'final stages'

About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected at the event, which takes place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4.

Among those in action will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class talents in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

Organisers hope the athletes will have a "unique experience" staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.

Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the Aichi-Nagoya Games organising committee, told AFP that "it feels like the Games are right around the corner".

"The final stages of preparation are now upon us," he said.

"We will continue working as one right until the last moment and we hope that people from all over Asia, not just Japan, will enjoy the event."

Organisers have opted for temporary athlete accommodation to cut costs, hiring the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena for the event.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, which features 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars.

Officials are confident that the plan will not be disrupted by Japan's typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.

- Teen stars -

A further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in wooden shipping container-style huts in Nagoya's Garden Pier area while the rest will stay in hotels.

That includes in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.

"For the athletes the accommodation is a place to relax and socialise with their fellow competitors," said Yagi.

"To ensure that all athletes can enjoy a comfortable stay and deliver their best performance, preparations for accommodation are entering their final stage."

Eala will be among the most prominent athletes competing in Nagoya, and the 21-year-old will be looking to continue her rapid rise in women's tennis.

The world number 20 became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA title when she triumphed at the Washington Open earlier this month.

She is hot property in her home country, sparking a rush of interest in tennis and inspiring youngsters to take up the sport.

Sooryavanshi will also turn heads after announcing himself as a major new talent in world cricket.

The gifted teenager became the youngest cricketer to represent India last month when he debuted in a Twenty20 match against England.

- 'Palpable excitement' -

Sooryavanshi will be hoping to win gold at Japan's newly built cricket ground, where defending champions India could face arch-rivals Pakistan in the men's final.

Swimmer Yu has also made a name for herself with her astonishing progress in the pool, setting a new women's 200m individual medley Asian record last year.

Yu, who turns 14 in October, will be part of a Chinese team that will again look to top the medals table after dominating on home soil at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

China won a record 201 golds, almost four times as many as second-place Japan.

As always at the Asian Games, traditional sports like athletics, swimming and football sit side by side with more local disciplines such as kabaddi, sepak takraw and wushu.

New events at the 20th edition of the Games include mixed martial arts, padel, teqball and virtual taekwondo.

Esports returns after a hugely successful debut in Hangzhou, with Nagoya organisers saying they hope to inspire elderly people to keep their minds sharp by picking up a controller.

With the Asian Games returning to Japan for the first time since 1994, the organising committee's Yagi said the atmosphere was "gradually becoming palpable".

"We hope to move you and excite you, and to showcase the wonder of sport," he said.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST