Sawt Falasteen - Asian Games set for liftoff but will have everyone have a bed?

More than 17,000 competitors and officials are expected at the continent's biggest sporting spectacular, which takes place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture until October 4.

The number of participants -- more than the Olympics -- has been a sore point for stretched-to-the-limit organisers, who initially expected 15,000 and have had to scramble to find accommodation for the rest.

They opted from the start to house athletes in temporary accommodation in a bid to cut costs, ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to hotel rooms.

Organisers say that the 20th edition of the Games, which were first held in 1951, will be "the most spectacular for generations".

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

Cruise ships have been used previously as accommodation at international sporting events, but never on this scale.

The unusual accommodation plans have been met with concern by some countries, with India even building their own replica container huts to prepare athletes for their stay.

On Monday, South Korean sports officials branded the facilities as "the worst" accommodation ever at the Games and said the beds were too short.

With just days to go, a Korean Olympic committee official also told AFP that there was "a serious shortage of accommodation".

- Rain, go away -

Organisers are adamant that everyone will have a bed and confident that the typhoon season that usually visits Japan in September and October will not dampen the party.

Weather has already disrupted preparations, with record rainfall forcing athletes to evacuate their accommodation briefly last week.

Rainwater also seeped into some competition venues, although organisers said there was no serious damage. More rain is forecast this week.

Athletes from 45 countries and territories will compete in more than 40 sports across the two weeks.

Basketball and football are already under way, with several more events set to start before Saturday's glittering opening ceremony.

As always at the Asian Games, Olympics staples such as athletics and swimming will sit side-by-side with regional favourites like sepak takraw and kabaddi.

In a bid to attract younger viewers there will be eSports, breakdancing and BMX cycling.

Padel, the fast-growing racquet sport, and MMA will make their Asian Games debuts.

The Games will function as qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in seven sports including surfing, tennis, archery and squash.

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

"I love playing and competing with the Philippine team," said Eala, who is skipping the China Open to take part.

- Gold rush -

Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting will also be there, two years after she won Paris Olympics gold in the middle of a major gender row that saw her eligibility questioned.

Hosts Japan will look to their Olympic champions for success, with gymnast Shinnosuke Oka and javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi named in their team.

North Korea will have more than 100 athletes competing across 14 sports, aiming to "bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un".

China will again expect to top the medals table after winning a whopping 201 golds and 383 medals on home soil in Hangzhou at the Covid-delayed Games in 2023.

They will send more than 800 athletes, including 36 Olympic champions.

"We will showcase China's standard and strength on the regional and global stage," said diver Wang Zongyuan.

Sooryavanshi will be part of an India cricket team looking to make a statement before the sport returns to the Olympics in LA after an absence of 128 years.

India could face bitter rivals Pakistan in the final at Nagoya's new purpose-built cricket ground.

Reports of tents serving as dressing rooms and distant washroom facilities have left some of the top teams unimpressed.

H.Nasr--SF-PST