The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will not seek special accommodation for India’s cricket teams at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, leaving the BCCI to either use the hotels allocated by organisers or independently manage its teams’ stay. According to a report by The Times of India, choosing separate accommodation would make the cricket board responsible for arrangements including rooms, food, local transport and ensuring players reach their venues on time.
The BCCI is now assessing whether the official facilities meet its requirements, with an advance team set to travel to Japan to inspect the accommodation, cricket venue and other infrastructure before a final decision is made.
IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer told The Times of India: “BCCI CEO Hemang Amin got in touch with us (IOA), and we had a fruitful discussion. They are contemplating sending an advance team to Japan to assess the facilities. The IOA is completely fine with that. Based on their assessment, they can decide whether they want to use the organisers’ facilities or make their own arrangements. It is for the BCCI and the organisers to work out the best solution. All sports, athletes, coaches and the entire delegation are treated equally by IOA.”
Official hotels raise accommodation questions
Asian Games organisers have allocated different hotels to India’s men’s and women’s cricket teams. The men are currently assigned to the three-star APA Hotel Nagoya Ekimae, while the women are due to stay at the four-star Meitetsu Grand Hotel.
The accommodation assigned to both squads provides the required facilities but differs from the five-star hotels typically associated with India’s cricket teams. The proposed setup would also require players to share rooms, giving the BCCI another factor to assess during its inspection of the arrangements in Japan.
The wider Games are placing significant pressure on accommodation capacity in Aichi-Nagoya. Athlete and coach numbers are expected to reach around 17,000, compared with an original planning estimate of 15,000, with mobile accommodation and the Costa Serena cruise ship supplementing existing hotel capacity.
BCCI would take control of alternative arrangements
Should the BCCI choose accommodation outside the designated hotels, it would need to keep the IOA and Games organisers informed of where its teams are based. The players would continue operating within the event’s accreditation, security and access framework regardless of where they stay.
Anti-doping requirements would create a separate operational consideration. The location of the cricket squads would need to be available to WADA and International Testing Agency dope-control officials, enabling them to conduct unannounced tests away from the official team hotels if necessary.
The IOA has backed the BCCI’s decision to inspect the available facilities before choosing between the two options. Iyer added: “The BCCI is taking care of its athletes, and sending an advance team is the right way to assess the facilities before making a decision. We are completely for the well-being of the athletes. Our objective is that the entire Indian delegation has a comfortable stay and a wonderful experience in Japan.”
India’s teams face different arrival schedules
The women’s team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, will have the tighter turnaround. India are scheduled to return from the Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai on September 13 before travelling to Nagoya the following day. Their Asian Games campaign begins at the quarterfinal stage on September 18 and is scheduled to run until September 22.
Shreyas Iyer’s men’s team will travel to Japan on September 21 and will also enter the competition directly in the quarterfinals. Their campaign begins on September 28, with the team scheduled to return on October 4.
The separate arrival windows add another consideration to the BCCI’s accommodation and transport planning as it determines whether the organisers’ arrangements are suitable for both squads.
Cricket planning extends towards Los Angeles
The accommodation discussions come as the IOA is also preparing for cricket’s return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028. Raghuram Iyer recently joined an IOA-Sports Authority of India delegation on a visit to Los Angeles, where officials met stakeholders and inspected facilities across multiple sports, including cricket.
The visit formed part of early preparations designed to address athletes’ practical requirements ahead of the Olympics and reduce the potential for operational problems during the event. Cricket is set to be staged at the newly built Knight Riders Cricket Ground at the Fairplex complex in Pomona, next to the Sheraton Fairplex Suites & Conference Center, where teams are expected to stay.
Major League Cricket matches are also expected to provide an early competitive test of the venue and its playing surface. Before then, India and Japan’s men’s teams are scheduled to meet in a T20I on September 22 for the Suzuki Cup, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and providing India with match preparation ahead of the Asian Games.
