Olympic Council of Asia keen to have cricket in 2026 Asian Games in Japan despite venue issues

The 2026 Asian Games will be held in Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is keen to have cricket in the 2026 Asian Games which will be held in Japan. Cricket administrators perceive multi-sport events like the Asian Games as an opportunity to boost the game, which will return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 after a 128-year gap.

The Hangzhou Games in China recently featured cricket but wasn’t part of the 2018 Games in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia.

"We are still working on the sports program for the 2026 Games but yes, we would want cricket to be part of it," OCA acting president Randhir Singh told Reuters.

However, the biggest obstacle remains the availability of a venue to host cricket in Japan.

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The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) has proposed an international stadium in Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo, but the OCA would prefer a facility in or near Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture, where the Games will be hosted.

The Tochigi stadium would be a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Nagoya, according to OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari, who visited Japan last month with an OCA coordination delegation to monitor preparations.

"We are working with the Asian Cricket Council on this," Tiwari said.

The program for the 2026 Games will be finalized at an OCA General Assembly in April.

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