Kricket and MMA were included in the 2026 Asian Games, which are to be organized together by the Japanese Prefecture Aichi and its capital Nagoya.
The organization committee of the games announced this decision at a board meeting in Nagoya after the Olympic Council of Asia had made a corresponding application. On the other hand, open water swimming was deleted from the program.
Cricket and MMA new to Asian Games in Japan
The committee said it was trying to organize Cricket within the prefecture, although there is currently no venue for sport.
However, the committee is also in discussions with cities and municipalities that have cricket plants.
Sano in the Prefecture of Tochigi was considered a possibility because the city has already organized national and international cricket events.
At the beginning of this week, the Japanese men’s team at the Sano International Cricket Ground qualified for the second time in its history for the U19 World Cup. The tournament will be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe in early 2026.
MMA will include 6 martial arts in Japan
“MMA will include six disciplines in his debut at the Asia games and classified as a martial arts,” said the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
The OCA and the local organizers will hold further meetings to drive the preparations for the games 2026, which will take place in Nagoya and other locations in the Aichi Prefecture.
In the games from September 19 to October 4, 2026, up to 15,000 athletes could compete – more participants than at the Olympic Games.
In December, the governor of Aichi, Hideaki Omura, explained that preparations for the Asian Games went smoothly.
His statements were made after Japanese media reported that the OCA was not satisfied with the preparations and accused the local organizers not to stick to the contract with the host city.
The reports said that the OCA had called for improvements in several areas, among other things in accommodation and transporting athletes and teams.
As for football, the committee explained that the number of participating teams will be 16 in the men and women, less than originally expected. It was also decided that the Prefectures Kyoto and Hyogo will not do any games.
Next year the Asian Games will be held for the 20th time.
