Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is looking to include cricket in the Asian Games of 2026 which will be held in Japan, so that the game can get a boost in terms of viewership.
For this purpose, the OCA is working towards making a stadium for the cricket matches in the Asian games, reportedly a baseball stadium in Nagoya will be converted so that the sport can be incorporated into the mega event.
Nagoya is the capital of Aichi prefecture in Japan and the 2026 Asian Games will be held in the city and that is why the Olympic Council wants a venue close to the outskirts of the city.
However, the Japan Cricket Association wanted the cricket matches to be held in Tochigi prefecture during the Asian Games which will be held two years from now.
OCA acting president Randhir Singh seemed keen on including the sport in the 2026 Asian Games and said, “We are still working on the sports program for the 2026 Games but yes, we would want cricket to be part of it.”
OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari said that Tochigi prefecture is three and half hours away from the venue where the olympic games will be held and that is the reason they are keen on finalising Nagoya as their primary cricket venue.
A general meeting of the OCA will be held where the schedule of the Asian Games 2026 will be finalized in April.
Cricket will be included in the 2028 Olympic Games and will return to the biggest sporting event in the world after 128 years. The sport was also included in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
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