The Asian Games 2026 will be another crossroads for India in case they win a medal in the cricket event. This might put India and the BCCI in a problem if the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officially nominates the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, Mohsin Naqvi, to present the medals.

This is very important, as India are the Asia Cup winners in both men’s and women’s tournaments, with the men’s team winning in 2025 and the women’s team winning this month in 2026.

However, both teams had refused to take the winner’s trophy and checks, owing to the insistence of ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister, on presenting them, which is not acceptable to the Indian squads.

With the Indian men’s and women’s teams primed to win the gold medal at the Asian Games in the cricket event, there is a question of whether they will boycott taking medals from Mohsin Naqvi if he is nominated for the same.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) decides who will give the medals. If they choose Naqvi, will India still refuse to accept the prize? And if they do, what would be the consequences?

According to OCA laws and top Indian Olympic Association (IOA) sources, if Naqvi is officially handed authority by OCA president Sheik Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, Indian players must accept their medals. Refusal to do so will be regarded as disrespecting the Games, the OCA, and its authorized representative, potentially inviting disciplinary action.

Devajit Saikia, BCCI secretary, was asked by the Times of India about BCCI’s stance at the medal ceremony, if India wins the gold medal, and whether a repeat of the Asia Cup will happen.

“We are focusing solely on the matches. The teams have to first reach the podium. We will take a call then, taking into account all prevailing factors at that moment. We will cross the bridge only when we reach it. The focus of the board and players is only on winning the matches. We don’t want to comment on anything else that hasn’t happened yet,” Saikia told Times of India.

Rule 66 of the OCA Manual and Guidelines governing the Asian Games, under the section ‘Victory and Medals Ceremony,' states, "Medals to the winners of the OCA Games shall be presented by the OCA president. The president may delegate this privilege to other members of the OCA, accompanied by the president of the international federation and/or Asian Federation concerned (or their deputy), if possible, immediately after the event and where the competition took place. Competitors must take their places on the podium wearing their official sports uniforms.”

Rule 66 also states, "No kind of demonstration or commercial, political, religious, or racial propaganda is permitted during the victory ceremony of the Games." Any disrespect shown to the Games, medals, flags, mascot, or certificates, or any action of such kind will be subject to penalization by the EB, including disqualification, withdrawal of medals, certificates, accreditation, rankings, and the like.”

The OCA and Aichi-Nagoya organizers are working with the ACC on all cricket-related aspects. ACC has also been in charge of preparing Korogi Sports Park, the event's venue, and Naqvi has played an active role in the process.

However, ICC chairman Jay Shah has been a strong advocate for cricket's inclusion in Olympic sports. So, it will be interesting to see who OCA chooses to give the medals to if he is also present at the event.

“India can’t ask OCA not to nominate Naqvi. After all, it’s the Asian Games, not an ICC or bilateral tournament. Neither IOA nor BCCI can place such a request before OCA or ask it to choose or exclude a particular person. Such a request cannot be made to OCA pre-emptively. Decisions of this nature can only be taken by OCA after considering the situation as it arises. Of course, it is entirely possible that Naqvi may not be asked to present the medals, but a little planning may not hurt,” a top IOA source told TOI.

The Indian women’s team defeated Japan in the quarter-final of the cricket event on September 18, 2026, and will face Bangladesh in the semi-final on September 20.

On the other hand, the Indian men’s team will play their quarter-final game on September 28.