Mixed martial arts to make Asian Games debut at Nagoya
April 30 (Reuters) - Mixed martial arts will make its Asian Games debut next year in Nagoya, Japan, while cricket will remain on the programme after its controversial return at Hangzhou, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said.
MMA will feature in six events and be classed as a discipline under contact sports along with the Japanese martial art of ju-jitsu and kurash, a Central Asian wrestling sport.
The inclusion of MMA, a full-contact combat sport that combines various fighting styles, continues organisers' record of pushing the boundaries having included e-sports as medal events for the first time at the COVID-delayed Hangzhou Games in 2023.
Cricket was approved for the 2026 programme in a win for organisers who were pushing to retain it after the sport's superpower India sent a men's team to Hangzhou.
"The venue for cricket will be in Aichi prefecture but the exact location has not been decided," the OCA said in a statement.
"Interest will be high, not only because of cricket's popularity in South Asia in particular but also because the T20 (20 overs per side) format will be included in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028."
Dropped for the 2018 Games in Jakarta, cricket's return at Hangzhou was panned by some media and fans for producing a T20 tournament blighted by lopsided results between established powers and cricketing minnows.
The rain-hit men's final was also slammed after India were awarded gold over Afghanistan by virtue of their higher global ranking after the game was washed out.
Nagoya will be the third Japanese city to host the Asian Games, following Hiroshima in 1994 and Tokyo in 1958.
More than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries and territories competed across 40 sports in Hangzhou, with hosts China topping the medal table for the 11th successive Games.
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