New Delhi, March 5 With shipping containers repurposed into housing units awaiting them as accommodation in this year's Asian Games, makeshift containers are being installed at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centres in Patiala and Bengaluru to help the athletes familiarize themselves with the concept and "avoid being shocked" when they land in Japan.
The Games are set to be held in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to 4, and in an effort to make the event accommodation cost-effective and eco-friendly, the organizers have eliminated the traditional concept of an athletes' village.
Instead, a docked cruise liner will serve as temporary accommodation, while several others will be housed in shipping containers converted into housing units.
India has already requested that its athletes be placed in on-land accommodation to avoid any pre-competition discomfort for those competing in disciplines like shooting and weightlifting.
"The makeshift container units are already in the process of being installed in both Patiala and Bengaluru, and the plan is to have athletes bound for the Games spend at least one night in them to get an idea of how the actual accommodation in Japan would be like," a Sports Ministry source told