Cricket set to be part of 2026 Asian Games

Cricket is set to be a part of the Asian Games in Japan next year. A formal confirmation to this effect will come during this week's meetings between the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the organising committee (AINAGOC) of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The 20th Asian Games will be held next year, from September 19 to October 4.

"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 told Cricbuzz on Wednesday (April 30) ahead of the meetings.

 An OCA statement 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 on May 1-2."

Cricket will be one of the 41 sports at the Games and 15,000 athletes and officials from the OCA's 45 National Olympic Committees will be part of it.

The Indian men's and women's teams are the defending gold medallists, having won the yellow medals in the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, from September 19 to October 7, 2023. The Games, one may recall, had to be delayed due to the Covid 19 pandemic.