IOC president impressed by 'beautiful' Asian Games wooden huts

NAGOYA, Japan — IOC president Kirsty Coventry called the shipping container-style huts for Asian Games athletes "beautiful" on Sunday -- but conceded they were "a little tighter" than similar accommodation at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Asia's biggest sporting spectacle, which opened on Saturday in the Japanese city of Nagoya, has split with past Games by having no traditional athletes' village. To save costs, the more than 17,000 Asian Games participants will stay in temporary huts, hotels and a cruise ship. Some countries have criticised the wooden cabins as too small, with beds that are too short. But after touring the lodgings, International Olympic Committee president Coventry said she could not understand the negativity. "We had similar cabins in Milan-Cortina (Winter Games this year) and the athletes were very happy. And the cabins here are really nice," said the Zimbabwean former Olympic champion swimmer. "They're a little tighter. So, you know, if you want something negative, it's a little smaller. "But I don't think it's a negative thing. I love the village." About 2,000 participants are staying in the lodgings by the water in Nagoya. Coventry said: "The cabins are quiet, they're very cool. The air conditioning is working well. "The flooring and the walls are beautiful. It's better than some of the villages...