Cricket confirmed for Asian Games
Cricket is officially set to feature in the 20th Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
The confirmation came after a series of meetings between the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC).
In an official statement, the OCA announced: "The OCA Board will still need to approve it, although we think that is just a formality. But until they do, it is not 100 percent," a Japan Cricket Association (JCA) official said.
"The meeting will run from Wednesday, April 30, to Friday, May 2, with the 3rd OCA Coordination Committee Meeting taking place over two days, May 1-2," he added.
As in previous editions, cricket will be played in the T20 format. The final list of participating teams is expected to be confirmed during further meetings later this week.
In the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, 14 men's teams and nine women's teams competed in the cricket tournament. India emerged as gold medallists in both the men's and women's events and will enter the 2026 Games as defending champions.
One of the key topics under consideration is the selection of the venue. Organisers are reportedly exploring the use of a modular stadium— similar to the one used by the ICC in New York during the recent T20 World Cup.
A JCA official confirmed that the cricket venue will be located in Aichi Prefecture, although the exact location remains undecided.
"The venue for cricket will be in Aichi Prefecture, but the exact location has not been decided. Interest will be highnot only because of cricket's popularity in South Asia but also because the T20 format will be included in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028," the OCA statement said.
"This will be cricket's first appearance in the Olympics since 1900 in Paris, where Great Britain beat France by 158 runs in the final of the two-team tournament," it added.
The 2026 Asian Games will feature 41 sports and are projected to attract around 15,000 athletes and officials from the OCA's 45 member National Olympic Committees.
In the previous edition held in Hangzhou, Pakistan's men's cricket team endured a disappointing campaign.
Entering the tournament at the quarterfinal stage, Pakistan was eliminated by Afghanistan in a rain-affected match that ended with no result. Afghanistan progressed to the semifinals based on a higher group-stage seeding.
With the senior national team preparing for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, Pakistan fielded a second-string side in Hangzhou, led by Qasim Akram and including young talents such as Arafat Minhas and Khushdil Shah.
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