Asian Games years could be moved in shake-up

Asian Games years could be moved in shake-up

The proposal would mean Asia's biggest sporting spectacle doubling up as qualifying and preparation for the Olympics, giving it added significance.

Japan's governor of Aichi prefecture Ohmura Hideaki (C), Japan deputy mayor of Nagoya Nakata Hideo (R) and Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia Raja Randhir Singh take part in the handover of the flag during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province on October 8, 2023. (Photo by JUNG Yeon-je / AFP)
The Asian Games flag handover to Japan at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The Japan Games this year remain unchanged, but the 2030 edition in Doha will possibly be delayed by a year.  (AFP)
HONG KONG:
The Asian Games could be moved to odd-numbered years starting in 2031 so the event takes place in the 12 months leading into the Olympics, reports say, reshaping the sporting calendar.

The reported proposal would mean Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle doubling up as qualifying and preparation for the Olympics, giving it added significance.

The Asian Games in Japan this September-October will be unchanged but the 2030 edition in Doha would be pushed back a year, after which the Games will be held every four years as normal but in odd years instead of even ones.

The executive board of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has approved the idea and there will now be more talks with international sports federations, China’s state Xinhua news agency said.

Specialist website Inside The Games said the proposal was discussed by the OCA in Sanya, the Chinese resort city currently hosting the Asian Beach Games.

Song Luzeng, vice president of the OCA, told Xinhua: “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.”

The OCA did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment.

The Asian Games is the continent’s biggest sporting event and typically involves more competitors than the Olympics.

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