Nagoya, Japan, January 9, 2024: The two-day Olympic Council of Asia Coordination Committee meeting for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 came to a conclusion on Tuesday afternoon at Nagoya City Hall.
This was the first OCA CC meeting with organising committee AINAGOC and the two sides pledged to work closely together in the coming weeks to finalise key items such as the Asian Games master plan, budget, sports programme and promotion campaign.
With Aichi-Nagoya 2026 planning to accommodate athletes and officials in hotels near competition venues rather than having a dedicated Athletes’ Village, much of the discussion focused on transportation, anti-doping procedures and other logistics such as the voting procedure for the OCA Athletes’ Committee elections.
The OCA Director General, Mr. Husain Al-Musallam, thanked AINAGOC for the meeting and vowed to assist the local organising committee as much as possible in laying the foundations for a successful Asian Games with less than three years to go.
Mr Al-Musallam said the OCA would continue to work closely with AINAGOC, especially over the next three months with online meetings and follow-up visits of teams of experts in major functional areas.
“We are here to help you. Thank you very much for your patience and your presentations,” he said.
The Secretary General of AINAGOC, Mr. Satoshi Murate, thanked the OCA for their detailed advice and vowed to project a positive image of Aichi-Nagoya 2026 to the public.
“Our passion is the same as yours to make this Asian Games successful,” Mr. Murate said.
“We only have three years to prepare so we have to work very hard for the preparations. We will deal with your advice very promptly and make every effort for the success of the Games.”
In other news:
The Main Media Centre, incorporating the Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre, will be located at the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall, 30 minutes from the main stadium.
The sale of licensing products will begin in April 2024 based on the slogan “Imagine One Asia” and the emblem. Organisers are planning to bring forward the announcement of the mascot from the original timeline of September 2024 to aid in the promotion of the Asian Games.
The opening and closing ceremony will be held at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which is under construction and will have a capacity of 35,000 spectators for both ceremonies.
The Torch Relay will take place in municipalities inside and outside Aichi Prefecture where the competition venues are located. The relay in Japan is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
The cultural programme will include special exhibitions at museums, promotional events of traditional arts performances such as dance, music and Kabuki theatre, while athletes will be able to experience Kimono, Origami, calligraphy, tea ceremony and regional tours.
AINAGOC has signed an agreement with the Aichi Association of Universities, which covers 52 universities and will provide human resources for the OCA flag tour, exhibition and fun zone, as well as volunteer recruitment.
The 20th Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, 2026.