Nagoya confirmed as host of 2026 Asian Games

Japan will host the Asian Games for the third time in 2026 after the city of Nagoya and the Aichi prefecture were confirmed as the venue for the multi-sport event by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

The Japanese bid was the only one put forward to host the continental gathering, which will be staged in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia in 2018 and the Chinese city of Hangzhou in 2022.

Japan, hosts of the 2017 Asian Winter Games, 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Summer Olympics, also staged the AsianGames in Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.

The OCA made the announcement yesterday (Sunday) at its General Assembly meeting in Danang, Vietnam.

Announcing the hosting, OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah stated “the road map of our main event is very stable.

"Together with our three Asian Games in 2018, 2022 and 2026, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the next two Winter Olympics in Korea and China..., the sports calendar of Asia will be very busy with continental and international events."

In their bid to host the Games, organisers explained that events will be staged at the Mizuho Athletics Stadium, Toyota Stadium, Rainbow Hall and Rainbow Pool, the Komaki volleyball arena and Nagoya Dome.

The Games’ main media centre will be located at the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall.

The bidders said the total budget for the Games would be US$842 million.

According to detailed cost estimates, about 30% of costs are expected to be covered by sponsorship and other revenue, while Aichi prefecture and Nagoya will split the remaining costs on a 70-30 basis.

Last week, Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura announced that the city would rejoin Aichi in their joint bid to host the event, after earlier threatening to withdraw from the project. The bid had been thrown into doubt earlier this month when Mayor Kawamura said that plans had stalled over financial uncertainties.

The bid was only backed by the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) earlier this month after the provision of detailed cost estimates.

The most recent edition of the Asian Games took place in Incheon, South Korea in 2014.

The Asian Games are generally considered the largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.

Images: Nagoya venues the Mizuho Athletics Stadium (top) and the Municipal Rainbow Pool (below).

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