The 2026 Asian Games (2026年アジア競技大会), also known as 20th Asian Games (第20回アジア競技大会) and Aichi-Nagoya 2026 (愛知/名古屋2026), will be a multi-sport event celebrated around the Aichi Prefecture in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. The prefecture capital Nagoya will be the epicenter of the events.[2] Nagoya will be the third Japanese city to host the Asian Games, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. The event is set to return to its traditional 4-year cycle, after the 2022 edition were postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bidding process

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) welcomed the joint proposal from Aichi prefecture and its capital Nagoya to host the Games at their annual general assembly session in Danang, Vietnam, on September 25, 2016.[3]The joint bid proposal almost did not happen due to financial differences between the two interested parties who were which were resolved between 2015 and 2016, allowing the joint bid accepted.[4] The OCA originally planned to choose the 2026 host city in 2018, but brought the planning date forward due to the intensity of the region's sporting calendar, including the next two Winter Olympic Games between 2018 and 2022 (held in Pyeongchang and Beijing) and the next Summer Olympic Games (scheduled for Tokyo in 2020).[5]

2026 Asian Games bidding results
City NOC Round 1
Aichi and Nagoya[6]  Japan Unanimous

Development and preparations

Costs

The city of Nagoya received an estimate of roughly ¥85 billion ($560 million) in costs from the Aichi Prefecture government for the event, 30% of which is expected to be covered by sponsorships and other revenue, while the remainder is planned to be split on a 70–30 basis between Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture.[4][7] In February 2023, the cost ballooned to ¥140.5 billion ($927 million).[8]

Venues

Nagoya Civic General Gymnasium
Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park
Toyota Stadium

In addition to Nagoya, 16 other cities across Aichi Prefecture and some venues at Greater Tokyo Area that their venues also hosted events during the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The current plans are that Paloma Mizuho Stadium will host both the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics events, Nippon Gaishi Hall is scheduled to be the venue for both gymnastics and aquatics, the Vantelin Dome Nagoya is to be used for baseball, and the Toyota Stadium is to be used as football main venue.[3]

Nagoya

Venue Sports Capacity Status
New Paloma Mizuho Stadium Ceremonies, Athletics 35,000 Existing, replacement
Nippon Gaishi Hall Gymnastics 10,000 Existing
Aquatics (water polo) 3,500
Downtown Nagoya Athletics (race walk) Temporary
Kinjō-futō Station Square 3x3 Basketball
Aichi International Arena Breaking, Judo, Wrestling 15,000 New
Obata Ryokuchi Urban Forest Cycling (mountain bike) Existing
Nagoya Velodrome Cycling (BMX racing)
CS Asset Minato Soccer Stadium Football 6,700
Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium Football, Rugby Sevens 11,900
Aichi Country Club Higashiyama Course Golf
Aichi Budokan Ju-jitsu, Kurash, Wushu 1,500
Paloma Mizuho Arena Sepak Takraw 1,200
Nagoya International Exhibition Hall Sport Climbing 5,900 Temporary
Nagoya Kinjo Pier Arena Squash 2,600 Existing
Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center Tennis, Soft tennis 4,000
Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre Weightlifting
Venue City Sports Capacity Status
Shinmaiko Marine Park Chita Aquatics (marathon swimming) Temporary
Okazaki Central Park Okazaki Archery
Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium Ichinomiya Badminton 2,000 Existing
Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium Okazaki Baseball 20,000
Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium Toyohashi Baseball 15,895
Anjō Softball Ground Anjō Softball 2,500
Wing Arena Kariya Kariya Basketball 2,376
Nishio City General Gymnasium Nishio Boxing 2,900
Miyoshi Lake Miyoshi Canoeing (sprint)
Yahagi River Canoe Slalom Course Toyota Canoeing (slalom)
Shinshiro Road Cycling Course Shinshiro Cycling (road) Temporary
Aichi Sky Expo Tokoname Cycling (BMX freestyle), Esports, Fencing, Skateboarding
Toyota Stadium Toyota Football 44,692 Existing
Wave Stadium Kariya Kariya Football 2,602
Kasugai City General Gymnasium Kasugai Handball 3,000
Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium Inazawa Handball 3,500
Tōkai Citizens Gymnasium Tōkai Kabaddi 1,300
Toyohashi City General Gymnasium Toyohashi Karate, Taekwondo 3,000
Anjō Sports Park Anjō Modern Pentathlon 1,700
Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor Gamagōri Sailing, Triathlon Temporary
Aichi General Shooting Range Toyota Shooting Existing
Akabane Long Beach Tahara Surfing Temporary
Sky Hall Toyota Toyota Table Tennis 6,500 Existing
Okazaki Central Park General Gymnasium Okazaki Volleyball (indoor) 4,673
Park Arena Komaki Komaki Volleyball (indoor) 5,000
Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court Hekinan Beach Volleyball

Outlying venues

Venue City Sports Capacity Status
Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium Gifu Football 26,109 Existing
Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium Kakamigahara Field hockey 1,600
Nagaragawa International Regatta Course Kaizu Rowing
Venue City Sports Capacity Status
Furuhashi Hironoshin Memorial Hamamatsu Swimming Centre Hamamatsu Aquatics (artistic swimming) 2,200 Existing
Izu Velodrome Izu Cycling (track) 3,600
Shizuoka Stadium Fukuroi Football 50,889
Venue City Sports Capacity Status
Tokyo Aquatics Centre Kōtō Aquatics (diving, swimming) 10,000 Existing
Tokyo Equestrian Park Setagaya Equestrian 1,500
Outlying football venues
Venue Location Capacity Status
Kyoto Stadium Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture 21,600 Existing
Nagai Stadium Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 47,816
Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture 35,910

Marketing

Emblem

The emblem of the Games was unveiled during a ceremony on 1 April 2020; Each colour has its own meaning with purple representing the iris laevigata, gold is for Shachihoko, the golden tiger-fish roof ornaments which are the symbol of Nagoya Castle, while the green represents environmental consciousness.[9]

Mascot

Mascot of the 20th Asian Games, Honohon, at an event in Nagoya in September 2024

The mascot of the Games, Honohon (Japanese: ホノホン) was unveiled on 14 July 2024. Its design is based on the shachihoko.[10]

Motto

The official motto of the 2026 Asian Games, "Imagine One Asia" was announced on 1 April 2020 to mark six years before the opening ceremony.[1]

The Games

Sports

2026 Asian Games Sports Programme [11]

Core Sports

33 sports from the 2024 Summer Olympics + 10 other sports and disciplines.

Five regional sports that were nominated by each region of the Olympic Council of Asia:

  1. Wushu (sport) (East Asia)
  2. Sepak takraw (Southeast Asia)
  3. Kabaddi (South Asia)
  4. Kurash (Central Asia)
  5. Jujitsu (West Asia)

Two sports that were part of the 2024 Summer Olympics and are not part of the core Asian Games program:

  1. Dancesport (Breakdancing)
  2. Roller sports (Skateboarding)

One sport that entered due to an agreement between AINAGOC (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee) and the OCA:

A final decision on the inclusion of cricket is scheduled for 2025, with the Asian Cricket Council having pushed for the bid and OCA President Randhir Singh "hopeful" for it. Its potential inclusion would act as the Asian qualifiers event for the 2028 Summer Olympics.[12][13][14]

Ceremonies

Participation

All 48 National Olympic Committees who are members of the Olympic Council of Asia are expected to send oceanian delegations. Australia, Guam and New Zealand Invited to the Asian Games.[citation needed]

Participating National Olympic Committees

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Aichi-Nagoya announces 'Imagine One Asia' as slogan for 2026 Asian Games". ocasia.org. Olympic Council of Asia. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020.
  2. ^ "2026 Asian Games to be held in autumn to avoid summer heat in Japan". Xinhuanet. xinhuanet.com. 19 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b Butler, Nick (25 September 2016). "Aichi and Nagoya officially awarded 2026 Asian Games". Inside the Games. insidethegames.biz. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b Mackay, Duncan (15 September 2016). "Joint bid from Nagoya and Aichi for 2026 Asian Games approved by JOC after budget dispute settled". inside the games. insidethegames.biz. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Nagoya 2026 Asian Games: Mayor promises 'fun', even as Japan looks at packed international schedule". F.Sports. firstpost.com. 25 September 2016. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  6. ^ "HOST CITY CONTRACT" (PDF). Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Master Plan 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026" (PDF). Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Cost for '26 Asian Games in Aichi rises by more than 60%". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Logo revealed for 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Meet Honohon – the mascot of the 20th Asian Games 2026". Olympic Coucil of Asia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Sports Program/Competition Venues | About the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games|20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 AICHI-NAGOYA ASIAN GAMES ORGANIZING COMMITTEE". Archived from the original on 2 August 2024.
  12. ^ Lavalette, Tristan (25 October 2024). "Amid Asian Games Uncertainty, Cricket Axed At 2026 Commonwealth Games Ahead Of Olympics". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  13. ^ Tagore, Vijay (2 October 2024). "Doubts arise over cricket's inclusion in 2026 Asian Games". Cricbuzz. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  14. ^ "LA28 cricket likely to be held on East Coast to attract Indian viewership". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
Preceded by Asian Games
Aichi and Nagoya

XX Asian Games (2026)
Succeeded by
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