Cricket, MMA Confirmed For Asian Video games 2026 In Japan

Cricket has been confirmed for the 2026 version of the Asian Video games to be held in Japan subsequent yr in September-October, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) introduced on Tuesday. A press word on OCA’s official web site mentioned that cricket and Blended Martial Arts (MMA) are set to be included within the competitors. “The newest growth within the compilation of the sports activities programme got here on the forty first assembly of the AINAGOC Board of Administrators at Nagoya Metropolis Corridor on Monday, April 28, when cricket and Blended Martial Arts had been each formally authorised,” the press word mentioned.

“The venue for cricket will likely be in Aichi prefecture, however the actual location has not been determined. Curiosity will likely be excessive, not solely due to cricket’s reputation in South Asia particularly but in addition as a result of the T20 (20 overs per facet) format will likely be included within the Los Angeles Olympic Video games in 2028. This will likely be cricket’s first look within the Olympics since 1900 in Paris, the place Nice Britain beat France by 158 runs within the closing of the two-team event,” it added.

Cricket has been part of Asian Video games for 2010, 2014 and 2022 editions. It grew to become a medal sport in 2010, with Bangladesh getting the gold and Afghanistan bringing the silver in males’s motion. Pakistan acquired the bronze medal. Through the 2014 version in Incheon, Sri Lanka captured the gold, Afghanistan acquired silver whereas Bangladesh took dwelling the bronze. Pakistan gained the gold medal in girls’s cricket within the girls’s cricket competitors throughout each video games.

The 2022 version of the competitors noticed India collaborating and successful the gold medal, that includes T20 stars like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal amongst others in males’s cricket. Afghanistan as soon as once more acquired the silver whereas Bangladesh took dwelling silver. India additionally took dwelling the gold within the girls’s competitors, with Sri Lanka getting silver and Bangladesh getting bronze.