With a year to go, organisers of the Asian Games admit public awareness “needs to be higher” as they look to ramp up interest in the next continental sporting spectacular. Host Japan hopes the 2026 edition in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture from Sept 19 to Oct 4 can leave a similar mark on sport as last year’s pandemic-delayed Hangzhou Games did. Organizers are counting on a big splash with the games being held close to home and using innovations like a floating village cruise ship and accommodation in converted shipping containers.
The games will feature more than 1,400 athletes competing in 32 sports and disciplines, with a smattering of new events including the BMX and three-on-three basketball. MMA will make its Asian Games debut and be classed as a combat event alongside martial arts such as judo, karate, kung fu, taekwondo and kurashi.
Spectator experience will be enhanced with measures to limit private cars around venues, with shuttle buses provided where necessary to help ease traffic and maintain order. The games will also include measures to reduce waste, recycle and use environmentally friendly materials.
Cricket will again be played at the Asian Games, having made its solitary appearance as a medal event at Guangzhou 2010 and returning at Incheon 2014. Esports will also feature following their runaway success in Hangzhou, with a permanent arena to be built to leave a legacy for the game in baseball-obsessed Japan. Athletes from the 45 member national Olympic committees affiliated to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are eligible for participation. The ambiguous political status of Taiwan and Macau means they compete under the flag of Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, respectively, rather than their own.