2026 Asian Games
| Host city | Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan |
|---|---|
| Motto | Imagine One Asia (Japanese: ここで、ひとつに, romanized: Koko de, hitotsu ni)[1] |
| Nations | 45 (expected) |
| Events | 43 sports (expected) |
| Opening | 19 September 2026 |
| Closing | 4 October 2026 |
| Opened by | Emperor Naruhito (expected) |
| Main venue | Paloma Mizuho Stadium |
| Website | aichi-nagoya2026 |
| Summer | |
| Winter | |
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 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 Da Nang, Vietnam, on 25 September 2016.[3][4] The joint bid proposal almost did not happen due to financial differences between the two interested parties; these were resolved between 2015 and 2016, allowing the joint bid to be accepted.[5] 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 and FIFA World Cups between 2018 and 2022 (held in Pyeongchang and Beijing, as well in Russia and Qatar) and the next Summer Olympic Games (scheduled for Tokyo in 2020).[6]
| City | NOC | Round 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Aichi and Nagoya[7] | 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.[5][8] In February 2023, the cost ballooned to ¥140.5 billion ($927 million).[9]
Athletes Village
The organising committee decided not to construct a permanent athletes village due to high costs, and instead chose to have a cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier, as well as temporary villas made from repurposed shipping containers near the Port of Nagoya, and in several hotels across the prefecture and outlying cities.[10][11]
Transportation
The Aichi-Nagoya Organising Committee is in the process of formulating a comprehensive transport plan that will include specific routes, coordination with transport service providers, and operational preparations for arrival/departure, opening/closing ceremonies, and daily movements to competition venues. They aim to leverage existing infrastructure and technology to provide efficient and comfortable transportation during the Games.
In principle, spectators are expected to rely on public transport. Aichi and Nagoya have an extensive public transportation network, including:
- Trains: JR lines (Tokaido Shinkansen, Tokaido Main Line, Chuo Main Line, etc.), Kintetsu Railway, Meitetsu, and various other local rail lines.
- Subway: The Nagoya Municipal Subway has a comprehensive subway system with six lines.
- Buses: Numerous private and public bus companies operate throughout the region, complementing the rail services.
- Shuttle Buses: If necessary, shuttle buses between competition venues and the nearest public transport stations will be considered to aid spectator movement.
- Travel Demand Management: Measures to curb private cars use around Games-related facilities, such as public announcements, will be implemented to ensure smooth transportation and maintain urban order.
Venues
In addition to Nagoya, events will be spread across 16 other cities across Aichi Prefecture and some venues in the Greater Tokyo Area that also hosted events during the 2020 Summer Olympics. The Paloma Mizuho Stadium will host the ceremonies and athletics events, Nippon Gaishi Hall is scheduled to be the venue for both gymnastics and water polo, the Vantelin Dome Nagoya will be used for baseball, and the Toyota Stadium will serve as the main venue for football.[3]
Cycling events are scheduled to be held at the Izu Velodrome in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Some aquatic events were originally scheduled to be held at the Nagoya Rainbow Pool, but with less than three years to go, OCA pointed out that the facilities did not meet the latest World Aquatics regulations.[12] After discussions, it was decided to move the swimming events to Tokyo Aquatics Centre and the equestrian events to the Tokyo Equestrian Park, the water polo was also moved to the Nippon Gaishi Hall's Rainbow Pool.[13][14]
Nagoya
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paloma Mizuho Stadium | Ceremonies | 35,000 | Existing, replacement |
| Athletics | |||
| Nippon Gaishi Hall | Gymnastics | 10,000 | Existing |
| Aquatics (water polo) | 3,500 | ||
| Downtown Nagoya and Hisaya Odori Park | Athletics (race walk) | Temporary | |
| Kinjō-futō Station Square | 3x3 Basketball | ||
| Aichi International Arena | Basketball | 17,000 | New |
| Judo | |||
| 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 | Rugby Sevens | 11,900 | |
| Football | |||
| Aichi Budokan | Ju-jitsu | 1,500 | |
| Kurash | |||
| Wushu | |||
| Inae Sports Center | Mixed Martial Arts | 2,200 | |
| Wrestling | |||
| Paloma Mizuho Arena | Sepak Takraw | 1,200 | |
| Nagoya International Exhibition Hall | Sport Climbing | 5,900 | Temporary |
| Kinjo Pier Arena | Squash | 2,600 | Existing |
| Higashiyama Park Tennis Center | Tennis | 4,000 | |
| Soft Tennis | |||
| City Trade and Industry Centre | Weightlifting |
| Venue | City | Sports | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okazaki Central Park | Okazaki | Archery | Temporary | |
| Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium | Ichinomiya | Badminton | 2,000 | Existing |
| Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium | Okazaki | Baseball | 20,000 | |
| Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium | Toyohashi | 15,895 | ||
| Anjō Softball Ground | Anjō | Softball | 2,500 | |
| Wing Arena Kariya | Kariya | Basketball | 2,376 | |
| Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court | Hekinan | Beach Volleyball | Temporary | |
| Nishio City General Gymnasium | Nishio | Boxing | 2,900 | Existing |
| Miyoshi Lake | Miyoshi | Canoeing (sprint) | ||
| Yahagi River Canoe Slalom Course | Toyota | Canoeing (slalom) | ||
| Korogi Athletic Park[15][16] | Nisshin | Cricket | TBA | Existing, replacement |
| Shinshiro Road Cycling Course | Shinshiro | Cycling (road) | Temporary | |
| Aichi Sky Expo | Tokoname | Breaking | Existing | |
| Cycling (BMX freestyle) | Temporary | |||
| Esports | Existing | |||
| Fencing | ||||
| Skateboarding | Temporary | |||
| Toyota Stadium | Toyota | Football | 44,692 | Existing |
| Wave Stadium Kariya | Kariya | 2,602 | ||
| Kasugai Country Club | Kasugai | Golf | ||
| Kasugai City General Gymnasium | Handball | 3,000 | ||
| Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium | Inazawa | 3,500 | ||
| Tōkai Citizens Gymnasium | Tōkai | Kabaddi | 1,300 | |
| Toyohashi City General Gymnasium | Toyohashi | Karate | 3,000 | |
| Taekwondo | ||||
| Anjō Sports Park | Anjō | Modern Pentathlon | 1,700 | |
| Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor | Gamagōri | Sailing | Temporary | |
| Triathlon | ||||
| 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 | 4,673 | |
| Park Arena Komaki | Komaki | 5,000 |
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 | Ward | Sports | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Aquatics Centre | Kōtō | Aquatics (diving, swimming) | 10,000 | Existing |
| Tokyo Equestrian Park | Setagaya | Equestrian | 1,500 |
| Venue | City | Sports | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagai Stadium | Osaka, Osaka Prefecture | Football | 47,816 | Existing |
The Games
Sports
| 2026 Asian Games Sports Programme[17] |
|---|
|
Core Sports
32 sports from the 2024 Summer Olympics + 11 other sports and disciplines.
Five regional sports that were nominated by each region of the Olympic Council of Asia:
- Wushu (East Asia)
- Sepak takraw (Southeast Asia)
- Kabaddi (South Asia)
- Kurash (Central Asia)
- Jujitsu (West Asia)
Three sports that were part of the 2024 Summer Olympics and are not part of the core Asian Games program:
Three sports proposed by the Olympic Council of Asia:
A final decision on the inclusion of cricket was 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.[24][25][26][27] On 28 April, the organizing committee approved the inclusion of cricket and mixed martial arts to the programme, following a request from OCA. In addition, open water swimming was removed from the programme.[18]
Participation
All 45 National Olympic Committees who are members of the Olympic Council of Asia are expected to send delegations.
| Participating National Olympic Committees |
|---|
|
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 for Shachihoko, the golden tiger-fish roof ornaments which are the symbol of Nagoya Castle, and green representing environmental consciousness.[28]
Mascot
The mascot of the Games, Honohon (Japanese: ホノホン) was unveiled on 14 July 2024. Its design is based on the shachihoko.[29]
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]
Sponsors
| Sponsors of the 2026 Asian Games[30] | ||
|---|---|---|
Prestige Partners
| ||
Official Partners
|
Broadcasting
In January 2025, the AINAGOC mentioned the "Host Broadcaster's Work" in a Q&A session. This indicates that a host broadcaster will be appointed to manage the primary coverage of the Games. The Nagoya International Exhibition Hall will serve as the Main Media Centre (MMC), which will include the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC).[32]
See also
- Asian Games celebrated in Japan
- 2026 Asian Para Games
References
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- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Japan's 2026 Asian Games hosts told to improve preparations". Kyodo News. 9 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "HOST CITY CONTRACT" (PDF). Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Cost for '26 Asian Games in Aichi rises by more than 60%". The Asahi Shimbun. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Asian Games: Floating venue, MMA and esports". Inside the Games. 8 June 2025. Archived from the original on 8 June 2025.
- ^ McKirdy, Andrew (6 June 2025). "Organizers to house athletes on 'floating village' during 2026 Asian Games". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025.
- ^ "第 20 回アジア競技大会（2026/愛知・名古屋）水泳（競泳/飛込）会場（仮決定）の変更について" (PDF) (in Japanese). 愛知県. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "アジア大会組織委 競泳などの東京への会場変更の提案を決定". NHK News Web (in Japanese). 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Tokyo 2020 venue to be used for equestrian at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games". Inside the Games. 3 October 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022.
- ^ Lavalette, Tristan (11 June 2025). "Ground Identified To Ensure Legacy For Cricket In Japan After 2026 Asian Games". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ Lavalette, Tristan (25 September 2024). "Nagoya baseball venue to host cricket". Coliseum Stadium Alliance. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Asian Games: Cricket, mixed martial arts added to 2026 program". Kyodo News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "OCA gearing up for 2026 Asian Games, also the 2026 HPEO Games and 2028 Olympics also appeared". Inside the Games. 30 April 2025. Archived from the original on 2 May 2025.
- ^ "Asian Games 2026 to include 11 medal events in esports - full list". International Olympic Committee. 21 February 2025. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025.
- ^ "2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Embraces 11 Esports Titles, Excludes Dota 2". The Esports Advocate. 21 February 2025. Archived from the original on 25 February 2025.
- ^ "Esports titles set for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games". Inside the Games. 24 February 2025. Archived from the original on 24 February 2025.
- ^ "MMA Officially Included in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games". Asian MMA Association. 7 March 2025. Archived from the original on 8 March 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Cricket Faces Asian Games 2026 Exclusion Ahead Of Los Angeles Olympics". Forbes. 24 September 2024. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Logo revealed for 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Meet Honohon – the mascot of the 20th Asian Games 2026". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Sponsorship and Donations". Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "GL events wins a major contract for the organisation of the 2026 Asian and Para-Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan". GL events (Press release). 11 April 2025. Archived from the original on 6 May 2025.
- ^ "【Updated on 10th March Question and Answer】20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Host Broadcaster's Work". Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.