Olympic Council of Asia provides venue update for 2026 Asian Games

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has provided a venue update for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, advising that the main stadium scheduled for completion six months before the start of the event.

Set to take place in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture from 19th September to 4th October 2024, the 20th edition of the multi-sport event will be centred on the 30,000-capacity Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Set to be ready by March 2026, the stadium will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, as well as athletics competitions.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC) provided a progress report to the OCA during the latter’s most recent general assembly in the Indian capital of New Delhi last weekend. While the organising committee said that venue construction is on track, one of the main topics of discussion was the provision of a suitable Games Village for the event.

The AINAGOC has previously ruled out the construction of a dedicated Games Village, with plans to accommodate up to 15,000 athletes and officials in hotels and other accommodation across Nagoya, Aichi, and co-hosting cities such as Tokyo.

At the last OCA general assembly, AINAGOC said that it planned on using a cruise ship docked in Nagoya Port as a Games Village, accommodating 4,000 athletes and officials. The cruise ship was one of 50 accommodations in the plan, and its adjoining pier would be used for cultural events and activities.

However, the OCA has expressed concerns about National Olympic Committees having athletes, officials and entourage staff scattered around the city, prefecture and further afield. OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam has said he is worried that the “Games spirit” will be lost without a dedicated Games Village.

As a result, the OCA executive board has given a mandate to the OCA Coordination Committee to look into the issue during meetings in Nagoya later this month. Tsunekazu Takeda, the OCA’s Vice-President for the 2026 Games, will meet with Aichi Prefecture Governor Hideaki Ohmura to discuss the plans.

Among other venues, a new gymnasium is to be built in Meijo Park, close to Nagoya Castle, is to be designed renowned architect Kengo Kuma. The new venue will host judo.

Kuma designed Japan's National Stadium, which is set to be used for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as for track and field events.

Other works of Kuma's include the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping centre in Beijing, the Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo and the V&A Dundee design museum in Scotland.

The new venue will have a floor space of approximately 58,000 square metres and will be able to host 17,000 people.

AINAGOC is also planning to use a baseball stadium in Nagoya as a makeshift cricket venue for the Games if the sport is included on the events program while yogasana (yoga) is also planned to be included as a demonstration event at the Games.

Image: Kengo Kuma's design for a new gymnasium in Nagoya that will host judo during the 2026 Asian Games. Credit: Kengo Kuma.