2026 Asian Games

XX Asian Games
Host cityAichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan
MottoImagine One Asia (Japanese: ここで、ひとつに, romanizedKoko de, hitotsu ni)[1]
Nations47
Opening19 September 2026
Closing4 October 2026
Opened byEmperor Naruhito (expected)
Main venuePaloma Mizuho Stadium
Websiteaichi-nagoya2026.org/en/ Edit this at Wikidata
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 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 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China were postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bidding process

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The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) selected Aichi prefecture and Nagoya city to host the Games at their annual general assembly session in Danang, Vietnam, on September 25, 2016.[3] The bid was initially in threat of falling apart after a budget dispute between Aichi Prefecture and its capital Nagoya, but was resolved, allowing the bid to be 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 three Olympic Games between 2018 and 2022 (held in Pyeongchang, Tokyo and Beijing).[5]

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

Development and preparations

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Costs

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The city of Nagoya received an estimate of roughly ¥85 billion 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]

Venues

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Nagoya Civic General Gymnasium
Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park
Toyota Stadium

In addition to Nagoya, 16 other cities across Aichi Prefecture and main Japanese Metropolitan Regions will host Games events. This list includes 6 cities or yards in the Greater Tokyo Area that their venues also hosted events during the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The plan is that Paloma Mizuho Stadium will host both the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics, Nippon Gaishi Hall is to be used 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

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Venue Sports Capacity
Nippon Gaishi Hall (Rainbow Pool) Aquatics (water polo) 3,500
Mizuho Athletic Stadium Ceremonies, Athletics (track and field, marathon) 30,000
Downtown Nagoya Athletics (race walk)
Kinjō-futō Station Square Basketball (3×3)
IG Arena (Aichi International Arena) Breaking, Judo, Wrestling 15,000
Obata Ryokuchi Urban Forest Cycling (mountain bike)
Nagoya Velodrome Cycling (BMX racing)
CS Asset Minato Soccer Stadium Football 5,400
Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium Football, Rugby Sevens 10,600
Aichi Country Club Higashiyama Course Golf
Nippon Gaishi Hall (Rainbow Hall) Gymnastics 5,000
Aichi Budokan Ju-jitsu, Kurash, Wushu 1,500
Paloma Mizuho Arena Sepak Takraw 1,200
Nagoya International Exhibition Hall Sport Climbing 5,900
Nagoya Kinjo Pier Arena Squash 2,600
Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center Tennis, Soft tennis 4,000
Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre Weightlifting
Venue City Sports Capacity
Shinmaiko Marine Park Chita Aquatics (marathon swimming)
Okazaki Central Park Okazaki Archery
Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium Ichinomiya Badminton 2,000
Okazaki Municipal Baseball Stadium Okazaki Baseball 20,000
Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium Toyohashi Baseball 15,900
Anjō Softball Ground Anjō Softball 2,500
Wing Arena Kariya Kariya Basketball (5×5) 2,400
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)
Aichi Sky Expo Tokoname Cycling (BMX freestyle), eSports, Fencing, Skateboarding
Toyota Stadium Toyota Football 44,400
Wave Stadium Kariya Kariya Football 2,600
Kasugai City General Gymnasium Kasugai Handball 3,000
Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium Inazawa Handball 3,000
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
Aichi General Shooting Range Toyota Shooting
Akabane Long Beach Tahara Surfing
Sky Hall Toyota Toyota Table Tennis 4,400
Okazaki Central Park General Gymnasium Okazaki Volleyball (indoor) 4,900
Park Arena Komaki Komaki Volleyball (indoor) 3,000
Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court Hekinan Beach Volleyball

Outlying venues

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Venue City Sports Capacity
Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium Gifu Football 16,300
Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium Kakamigahara Field hockey 1,600
Nagaragawa International Regatta Course Kaizu Rowing
Venue City Sports Capacity
Furuhashi Hironoshin Memorial Hamamatsu Swimming Centre Hamamatsu Aquatics (artistic swimming) 2,200
Izu Velodrome Izu Cycling (track) 1,800
Shizuoka Stadium Fukuroi Football 50,900
Venue City Sports Capacity
Tokyo Aquatics Centre Kōtō Aquatics (diving, swimming) 5,000
Tokyo Equestrian Park Setagaya Equestrian 1,500
Outlying football venues
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Venue Location Capacity
Kyoto Stadium Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture 21,600
Nagai Stadium Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 47,800
Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture 45,000

Marketing

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Emblem

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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.[8]

Mascot

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

The mascots of the Games, Honohon (Japanese: ホノホン) was unveiled on 14 July 2024.[9]

Motto

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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

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Sports

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2026 Asian Games Sports Programme [10]

Core Sports

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33 sports from the 2024 Summer Olympics (including surfing as a new sport) + 9 other sports.

Five regional sports that was 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)

Five sports that will be part of the 2020, 2024, and 2028 Summer Olympics programs:

  1. Baseball/Softball
  2. Dancesport (Breakdancing)
  3. Karate
  4. Roller sports (Skateboarding)
  5. Squash

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

  1. Esports

A final decision on inclusion of cricket is expected in 2025, with Asian Cricket Council having pushed for the bid and OCA President Randhir Singh "hopeful" for it.[11][12] Cricket was reintroduced to 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou as well as the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[13]

Participation

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All 45 National Olympic Committees who are members of the Olympic Council of Asia are expected to send delegations, Australia and New Zealand Invitee a Asian Games.

Participating National Olympic Committees

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "Logo revealed for 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
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Preceded by Asian Games
Aichi and Nagoya

XX Asian Games (2026)
Succeeded by