Typhoon May Force Costa Serena to Leave Nagoya With Athletes
Under Nagoya Coast Guard rules, a Level 2 alert would come three hours before strong winds, requiring Costa Serena to depart promptly with everyone aboard.
Typhoon Dujuan could force Costa Serena to leave Nagoya with Asian Games athletes aboard under a port evacuation contingency plan. The Italian-flagged cruise ship, berthed at Kinjo Pier, is housing about 4,000 athletes and officials for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
A departure could keep the vessel away from its berth for up to 48 hours, potentially preventing athletes from reaching competitions and disrupting their training, transport and rest schedules.
Japan’s meteorological authorities forecast the storm to hit the Izu Peninsula and Tokyo before reaching Nagoya’s coast on Monday. Heavy rain warnings cover several regions, with maximum sustained winds forecast at 90 km/h and gusts of up to 126 km/h.
Under the Nagoya Coast Guard’s procedures, a Level 2 evacuation alert would be issued three hours before strong winds arrive if the typhoon’s storm area is expected to affect the port. Costa Serena would then have to leave promptly, carrying everyone still aboard. Athletes ashore would remain on land and be directed to alternative facilities.
Ship management has asked occupants to bring clothing and other loose items inside from their balconies and secure their belongings. Macau table tennis player Zhu Yuling shared the wind advisory on social media on Sunday night, writing: “I have a match early tomorrow morning - wish us luck.”
Questions over backup accommodation
OSEN reported that alternative accommodation capable of housing the entire onboard group at once had not been prepared. The Olympic Council of Asia said shelters were available for a large-scale evacuation and maintained that preparations were thorough.
Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura said the ship would depart according to the port’s decision. “Waves within Ise Bay will never reach the height to capsize a large ship,” he said.
Organisers chose not to construct a dedicated athletes’ village because of the cost, distributing teams among existing hotels, container-style accommodation and the cruise ship. They promoted the vessel’s use on cost-saving and environmental grounds. It is the first time a major international multi-sport event in Japan has used a ship to house athletes.
Other Games accommodation has already required a weather-related evacuation. During an earlier downpour in Nagoya, rainfall reached about 104 mm an hour and approximately 400 athletes in container accommodation moved to higher ground. They returned safely after the evacuation order was lifted about two hours later.
Competition schedules already changing
The organising committee said it would consult the Olympic Council of Asia and the relevant international sports federations over schedule adjustments if competitions could not proceed. That process would also cover athletes unable to participate because they had evacuated aboard the ship.
Equestrian events at Tokyo’s JRA Baji Koen Equestrian Park have been moved from Monday to Tuesday. The affected competitors include Hong Kong eventing riders Patrick Lam Lap-shun, Annie Ho Yuen-yan, Su Yuxuan and Nicole Michele Pearson.
Heavy rain has also forced organisers to shorten the six-day regatta at the Nagara River International Rowing Course in neighbouring Gifu prefecture, eliminating semi-finals and repechage rounds across several events. Racing originally scheduled for September 20–25 will now take place on September 23 and 24.
