Cricket races back into 2026 Asian Games program

Cricket will feature at the 2026 edition of the Asian Games in Japan, quashing months of speculation surrounding the sport’s potential omission.

A decision on the sport’s fate was decided at an Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) board meeting on Monday, joining Mixed Martial Arts as a late inclusion for the event held in the Aichi Prefecture from 19 September to 4 October next year.

Despite doubts of cricket’s return, Emerging Cricket understands the sport’s Olympic inclusion for Los Angeles 2028 pushed its case to remain in the program, at the expense of open water swimming.

Tochigi Prefecture newspaper Shimotsuke Shinbun, which serves the area of Sano where the Japan Cricket Association and the flagship cricket ground is situated, first reported the news fresh off the country’s U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup qualification through the East Asia-Pacific pathway.

The outlet also reported that the Sano International Cricket Ground had been put forward for the event, though its distance from Nagoya (the main city of Aichi Prefecture and 450 kilometres away) makes the venue an unlikely choice.

Representatives of the Japan Cricket Association travelled from Sano to Nagoya on Wednesday, with sites and location on the agenda in discussions with the Games’ committee.

It’s tipped a converted baseball facility in the outskirts of Nagoya will hold cricket events at the Games, with a square put in the middle of three conjoined fields.

The sport had been included for the games for Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014, missing the 2018 edition before being reincluded for Hangzhou 2022.

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