Ships to solve accommodation woes

Doha: Three ships will be moored at the Doha port with a 2,500-bed capacity in a bid to curb a severe shortage of accommodation at December's Asian Games, officials said here on Thursday.

The Doha Asian Games' organisers said they would also stretch the Athletes Village beyond its actual 10,541 beds capacity in a bid to accommodate an extra 1,000 athletes.

"Three ships will be moored at the port with an additional 2,500 beds dedicated to visitors and tourists during the Doha Asian Games," Abdullah Al Qah'tani, director general of the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee, told Gulf News.

"In addition, the Athletes Village will make room for an extra 1,000 beds to reach 11,558 beds to accommodate athletes," said the official, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Athletes' Airport Terminal.

Criticism raged from the National Olympic Committees of participating countries over the past few weeks, which said they had to cut their official teams as Qatar could not provide sufficient room for all. Some also hinted they would have flown into Doha with inflatable beds to accommodate their teams.

"Some of us must be prepared to sleep in the living rooms of apartments at the athletes' village. We are asking the Japanese embassy to help find us accommodation," Tsunekazu Takeda, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee said last week, while announcing he was to file a complaint with the Games' organisers.

The Doha Asian Games organising committee has informed the JOC that they will be able to provide only 693 beds for the 811-strong Japanese delegation including 628 athletes, he said.

Al Qah'tani said the Athletes' village was meant to accommodate a maximum of 10,000 but the actual capacity of 10,541 beds exceeded that number.

Participating countries accredited an unexpected 13,500 athletes, exceeding the quota set by the Games' organisers.

"We have managed to outstretch the Village's capacity to host some 11,558 beds. There is no shortage of space, all our guests have been accommodated," he said.