Costa Serena to House Athletes at 2026 Asian Games

The Organizing Committee for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Asian Para Games has chartered the Costa Serena for the event.

According to the Chunichi Shimbun Online Edition, the cruise ship will function as a floating athletes’ village during the games, which are scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan, from Sep. 19 to Oct. 4, 2026. The report said the CostaSerena will stay berthed at Kinjo Pier in Nagoya Port under an agreement signed on Sep. 30, 2025.

The contract was arranged through JTB’s Nagoya Business Division and is valued at approximately 4.5 billion yen, or nearly $30 million. JTB acts as Costa Cruises’ official agent in Japan.

Chunichi Shimbun added that the organizing committee opted not to build a conventional athletes’ village as a cost-saving measure. As previously reported by media, the charter also follows a request from the Olympic Council of Asia.

Organizers said in 2024 that the concept was inspired by previous uses of cruise ships as accommodation during large-scale events, including the 2019 Napoli Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy. During that event, Costa Victoria and MSC Lirica accommodated more than 4,000 delegates from over 70 countries over an 11-day period.

According to Chunichi Shimbun, this will mark the first time a cruise ship is used specifically to house athletes during the Asian Games.

The Costa Serena is expected to accommodate about 4,000 athletes and other guests, with an additional 2,400 people staying in nearby temporary facilities and hotels.

The 2007-built vessel operates year-round in Asia and underwent an extensive refurbishment in late 2025, introducing a refreshed design and new features.

Following the completion of the charter, the ship is scheduled to reposition to the Western Hemisphere, beginning a 65-day voyage to Argentina.