Ryder Cup points are up for grabs with all the Europeans hoping for a fast start on this race
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is eager to have cricket at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan and is exploring the idea of converting a baseball stadium in Nagoya for this purpose.
Cricket administrators perceive multi-sport events like the Asian Games as an opportunity to boost the game, which will return to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028 after a 128-year gap.
Cricket featured in the Hangzhou Games in China last year but wasn't part of the 2018 Games in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia.
"We are still working on the sports programme for the 2026 Games but yes, we would want cricket to be part of it," OCA acting president Randhir Singh told Reuters.
The lack of cricket facilities in Japan, however, remains an issue.
There is an international cricket stadium in Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo, but the OCA prefers a facility in or around Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture where the Games will be held.
The Tochigi stadium would be a three-and-a-half hour drive from Nagoya, said OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari, who visited Japan last month with an OCA coordination committee to oversee preparations.
"We are working with the Asian Cricket Council on this," Tiwari said.
ALSO READ
The programme for the 2026 Games will be finalised at an OCA General Assembly in April.
"It will be great to have cricket in the 2026 Games, and we at JCA will provide all kind of support," Japan Cricket Association chief executive Naoki Alex Miyaji told Reuters.
"It would leave a fantastic legacy, and go a long way in promoting the game in the country."
Ryder Cup points are up for grabs with all the Europeans hoping for a fast start on this race
Three coveted sports in the DP World Tour Championship Pro-Am are up for grabs in November
Entering the Asian Tour Qualifying School is on my agenda – so all bases are covered,’ says the 24-year-old rookie pro
It was the first time I have really been a Tournament Host of an event like the HSBC India Legends, says Dubai Golden Visa awardee
The five feet three-inch tall ‘pocket rocket,’ from Korea said farewell to an 18-year career which includes 10 worldwide professional victories
‘There is a lot of time dedicated to golf in the U.S. which is why I chose to come here,’ says the UAE passport holder
The Dubai-based Englishman is joined by Scott, Rose, Lawrence and MacIntyre who have confirmed for the Race to Dubai Rankings event at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
New ballpark will be the first professional baseball field in the history of the Middle East and South Asia