Bhubaneswar, June 28: The city administration and the state government are going all out to ensure a successful Asian Athletics Championship scheduled to begin next month.

Now, hotels in Bhubaneswar have joined the party as they gear up to host the elite athletes, who will arrive here for Asian athletics' flagship event.

Around 11 three and four-star hotels, including Hotel Swosti Premium, Sandy's Tower, Ginger, HHI, Suryayanash, Pal Heights VITS, The Crown, and Hotel Excellency, in the city will accommodate 1,008 athletes. Luxury hotels such as the Mayfair and the Trident have been booked to accommodate top sports officials. The management of the hotels are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a pleasant stay for the athletes.

The accommodation committee recently discussed and approved hotel-wise clubbing of countries. They also conducted an orientation programme for the general managers of the hotels to brief them about the necessary arrangements.

Safety officials have already completed the inspection of food and water quality of the hotels. "We gave the green signal after we found no signs of contamination in any of the hotels. We are also conducting weekly inspections and will continue to do so as long as the athletes put up in the hotel," said tourism director Nitin Jawale.

The tourism department has also run an awareness campaign among the management and created a WhatsApp group for the assigned officers to share information and maintain co-ordination.

Special emphasis has been put on the catering services. Diet charts, according to individual needs, have already been sent to the hotel managements. The hotels will also serve local cuisine. "We have instructed them to strictly follow the diet guidelines. An inspector will check the food served to the athletes on a regular basis," said a senior official of the sports and youth services department.

Keeping in mind the taste of the athletes, the hotels will serve special Korean, Japanese and Mediterranean food. The state government has hired a reputable chef from Vishakhapatnam to train the chefs of the local hotels. An orientation programme will be held on June 30 on this.

Security will also be tightened at the hotels during the championships. An official from the state government will accompany the teams all the time. "We already received details of the hotels, where the athletes will be accommodated. Local police of the individual hotels will look after the security of the athletes," said police commissioner Y.B. Khurania.

"We will provide everything in accordance with international standards. We will also ensure that athletes, who come with their families, also receive proper treatment," said Tapaswinee Naik, officer attached to the athletes at Hotel Swosti Premium. The hotel will accommodate the largest number of athletes, 168 from India and 25 from Iran. The Indian contingent has already begun to arrive at the hotel with Odia sprinter Srabani Nanda checking in this evening.