Asian Games likely to shift to year before Olympics from 2031

Bilkul Online

6 months ago

Sanya (China), April 27 : The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) plans to reschedule the Asian Games to the year immediately before the Summer Olympics, a move aimed at better aligning the continental event with the world’s biggest sporting showcase.

The adjustment is expected to take effect from the Doha Asian Games, which would be moved from 2030 to 2031, said Song Luzeng, vice president of the OCA told Xinhua on Monday. The proposal has already been approved by the OCA Executive Board and is now under further consultation with international sports federations. “It would allow the Asian Games to serve as a qualifying event for the Olympics, giving more elite athletes valuable competition opportunities and raising the overall standard of the Games,” Song said. Song noted that Olympic qualification is currently managed by international federations and that the OCA is in the final stage of discussions with some of them on the new plan. Should the idea be approved, the transition would begin with the Doha 2030 Asian Games, which would be deferred to 2031.

It would affect the Riyadh 2034 Asian Games, which would consequently move to 2035. By contrast, the already scheduled Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games would retain its original slot, from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Notably, India is looking to bring the Asian Games back to home soil for the first time since 1982 as the country expressed interest in hosting the Asian Games 2038, and the proposal for the same has been discussed at the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) executive board meeting in Sanya, China. While New Delhi hosted the inaugural edition in 1951 and the event’s last Indian appearance in 1982. The 2038 bid will mark a potential return of the prestigious continental competition for the third time.