Olympic Council of Asia retains cricket for Asian Games 2026

The Olympic Council of Asia and AINAGOC are preparing for two major meetings in Nagoya, Japan, focusing on the 20th Asian Games scheduled for 2026. The Asian Games 2026 are scheduled to be held in Japan’s Aichi and Nagoya prefectures from September 19 to October 4.
The meetings include the 1st Technical Delegates Meeting and the 3rd OCA Coordination Committee Meeting, bringing together over 350 participants to discuss preparations for the games that will feature 41 sports and 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 National Olympic Committees.

Cricket and Mixed Martial Arts were formally approved at the 41st AINAGOC Board of Directors meeting at Nagoya City Hall on April 28. MMA will make its Asian Games debut with six events under Combat Sports alongside kurash and jujitsu.

Cricket's venue will be located in Aichi prefecture, with the T20 format generating particular interest due to its upcoming inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This marks cricket's first Olympic appearance since 1900 in Paris, where Great Britain defeated France.
South Asian teams have dominated cricket in past Asian Games. Bangladesh had won men’s gold in 2010, Sri Lanka in 2014, and India in 2022, when it fielded several T20 stars including Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Afghanistan earned silver medals in all three editions. India also won gold in women’s cricket in 2022, while Pakistan topped the women’s podium in both 2010 and 2014.
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The 3rd OCA Coordination Committee meeting begins on May 1 with presentations from 18 AINAGOC departments, covering areas such as sports, accommodation, transportation, accreditation, marketing, ticketing, and IT services.
Two sponsorship signing ceremonies are scheduled during the Coordination Committee meeting.
The committee meeting's second day includes visits to the Athletes' Plaza at Garden Pier in Nagoya Port and the badminton stadium at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
A joint press conference between OCA and AINAGOC will conclude the Coordination Committee meeting on Friday afternoon.
Both meeting groups will attend a joint welcome reception with AINAGOC on the evening of May 1.
The 2026 Asian Games will take place in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, bringing together participants from the OCA's 45 National Olympic Committees.