All aboard: Some Singapore athletes housed on cruise ship during Asian Games

NAGOYA: Over the years, Singapore women's water polo captain Abielle Yeo has stayed at hotels, a university dormitory and even a condominium-type complex during competitions, but never on a 290m-long cruise ship.

"It's quite a new experience for us. Especially because with previous major Games, we've never had a (Games) village on the boat," she told CNA on Friday (Sep 18).

With no dedicated athletes' village, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organisers are instead relying on the cruise ship, temporary wooden containers and hotels to house participants.

Along with Yeo and her teammates, Singapore athletes from other sports, including wushu and table tennis, have also checked into the ship Costa Serena, which is docked off the port of Nagoya.

Table tennis player Chloe Lai said she was excited to get the chance to live on a cruise ship during the Games.

"(The rooms are) not bad, there's quite a lot of space. We expected it to be way smaller," she said.

"The beds were very comfortable. We heard that the beds were not comfortable or the pillows were not very good. So I brought a pillow from home (just) in case, but I didn't have to use it," added Abielle Yeo's teammate Kayla Yeo.

Singapore's chef de mission Goh Kee Nguan told CNA that athletes on the cruise ship are in "good spirits and settling in well".

"They look forward to enjoying the facilities and the space on board. The food has also been well received, with buffet-style meals offering a good range of international options," he said.

As of Thursday, 102 Singapore athletes from 11 sports have arrived in Nagoya, while 29 swimmers are based in and competing in Tokyo, he added.

While there was "quite a bit of a wait" prior to boarding the ship and getting their rooms on Thursday, the experience overall has so far been positive, said Abielle Yeo.

"Accommodation will be the most important because after a tiring day of competition and training, you need somewhere ... you can come back to relax and de-stress from the day," said Lai.

"CERTAIN PLUS SIDES"

Accommodation at the Games has been in the spotlight over the past week.

Temporary wooden container huts have received some flak, with South Korean officials branding the container huts the "worst ever" and saying the beds are too short.

Hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation last week as record rainfall lashed Nagoya.

Speaking ahead of the opening ceremony, organising committee president Hideaki Omura said plans for the containers, which were built this year, had been given a favourable assessment by a committee of former athletes, including Olympians.

For Mr Goh, who has been staying in one of the temporary container huts, the accommodation has been comfortable.

"I have found the accommodation to be comfortable and well equipped, with air conditioning, comfortable beds, washing machines and dryers, as well as showers and bidet toilets. The organisers have also provided laundry pods, hangers and welcome kits with toiletries for all residents," he said.

Back on the Costa Serena, Kayla Yeo's pillow is not the only thing she brought from home that hasn't been used.

She also packed motion sickness pills just in case, but with the ship docked at the port, there has been no need for them.

Women's captain Abielle Yeo said she had been hoping for more Japanese food instead of Western fare, adding that there are "certain plus sides" to staying on a cruise ship.

What has been particularly useful for the team is the constant availability of food at the ship's dining halls.

"With our previous experiences, sometimes because the game schedule is as is ... when we can only come back to our accommodation during off-meal times, it's a bit difficult because there's either no food left or they have to prepare takeaway boxes or stuff that is not very great," she added.

"The good part about this is that because there's always food available, it doesn't matter when our game is, and we can be flexible with our daily schedule, which I think is really good."

Mr Goh said that Singapore's secretariat will continue to stay close to athletes, team officials and organisers to ensure they are well supported throughout the Games.

"We are ready for the Games and look forward to welcoming the rest of Team Singapore and, most importantly, seeing our athletes compete and give their very best on the field of play."

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