Nagoya: In a major development for the sporting landscape of Asia, cricket has been officially retained in the upcoming edition of the Asian Games, while Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will make its debut appearance. The decision was confirmed during the 41st meeting of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC) Board of Directors held at Nagoya City Hall on Monday.
According to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), “The latest development in the compilation of the sports programme came at the 41st meeting of the AINAGOC Board of Directors at Nagoya City Hall on Monday, April 28, when cricket and Mixed Martial Arts were both formally approved.”
While the venue for cricket will be located in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, the exact location has not yet been finalised. MMA, classified under combat sports alongside kurash and jujitsu, will feature six medal events in its inaugural outing.
Cricket has previously featured in the Asian Games on three occasions—in 2010 (Guangzhou), 2014 (Incheon), and most recently in 2022 (Hangzhou). India, which did not participate in the first two editions, dominated in 2022, with the men’s team being crowned champions after the final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain. India were declared winners by virtue of their superior ranking. The women’s team secured gold by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
Interestingly, there had been initial uncertainty over cricket’s inclusion. Alan Curr, Head of Cricket Operations at the Japan Cricket Association, previously stated that cricket was not on the organising committee’s list. “Unless someone tells us any differently, we won’t be making any plans to take our teams to participate in this event,” Curr had told Emerging Cricket.
Cricket’s retention in the Asian Games adds to the momentum of the sport’s global resurgence. Notably, it is also set to return to the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028, marking its comeback after a 128-year hiatus since its only appearance in the 1900 Paris Olympics, where Great Britain lost to France in the final.
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