Latest news with #HangzhouGames
New Straits Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Shereen, Irfan take centre stage at Asian meet
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia are banking on Shereen Samson Vallabouy and Irfan Shamsuddin to deliver medals at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on May 27-31. Malaysia Athletics (MA) technical director John Ballard said Shereen and Irfan are currently ranked among the top three in the women's 400m and men's discus events, respectively. The 26-year-old Shereen clocked a season-best 53.66s at the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida last month and holds the national record of 51.79. She is expected to battle for gold with Bahrain's Kemi Adekoya, the reigning Asian Games champion, and compatriot Salwa Eid Naser. Shereen bagged bronze in the Hangzhou Games in 2023. Irfan, 29, threw a season-best 60.00m to claim silver at the Queensland Open in March. He will face stiff competition from Qatar's Moaaz Mohamed Ibrahim and China's Abuduaini Tuergong in Gumi. "Irfan is in good form and should be on the podium in Gumi," said Ballard. Hangzhou Asian Games 100m bronze medallist Azeem Fahmi will skip the Asian meet. Ballard confirmed Malaysia will field 36 athletes in Gumi. "Sprinter Russell Alexander Nasir Taib will contest the men's 200m alongside youngster Sayyid Amin Roslan. "Teenager Danish Iftikhar Roslee, who stunned the seniors to win the 100m title with a 10.57s at the Cahya Mata Super Series on Saturday, will feature in the 4x100m. "Jonathan Nyepa and Khairul Hafiz Jantan will race in the men's 100m." Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli will double up in the women's 100m and 200m, joined by youngsters Nur Aishah Rofina Zulkifli (100m) and Izzatul Musfirah Ahmad Kamal Azira (200m). At last year's Asian Championships in Bangkok, Malaysia managed just one bronze through Irfan.
India.com
30-04-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Asian Games 2026: Cricket Retained Amid Olympic Comeback Hype, Set for Action in Aichi, Japan
The announcement was made during the 41st meeting of the AINAGOC Board of Directors held at Nagoya City Hall on April 28. Scheduled to take place from September 19 to October 4, 2026, the Asian Games will be co-hosted by Japan's Aichi and Nagoya prefectures. Cricket events will be staged in Aichi, although the exact venue has yet to be finalized. A Growing Cricket Legacy at the Asian Games Cricket's presence at the Asian Games has grown steadily, despite being featured in only three of the previous 19 editions. The sport debuted at the 2010 Games in Guangzhou, returned in 2014 in Incheon, and after a brief exclusion in 2018, made a strong comeback at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. Both men's and women's cricket competitions have followed the Twenty20 (T20) format. Notably, the 2023 edition saw India field a strong squad and clinch gold in both categories. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka earned silver in the men's and women's events, respectively, while Bangladesh secured bronze in both. Crucially, cricket matches at the 2023 Games were recognized with international status by the International Cricket Council (ICC), a move that significantly boosted the sport's global profile. This recognition is expected to continue in 2026. Road to the Olympics: T20 Cricket Gathers Momentum The retention of cricket in the Asian Games is seen as part of a broader strategy to promote the sport on the international stage. With T20 cricket confirmed for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Asian Games could serve as a vital platform for teams to prepare and compete in high-stakes international fixtures. This return to the Olympic fold marks cricket's second-ever Olympic appearance. The only previous instance occurred at the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated France in a one-off match. The Asian Games appearance will be crucial for the team to get prepared for the upcoming Olympic Games 2028.
Reuters
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
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.
