Nagoya, Japan, September 19, 2024: Members of the Olympic Council of Asia Coordination Committee were provided with an early look at what will become one of Japan’s leading indoor sports stadiums.
As part of the venue tour on Thursday afternoon, the OCA CC members were taken to the Aichi International Arena.
It was a case of hard hats all round as the arena is still under construction and is expected to be finished by July 2025 – over one year before the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya opens on September 19, 2026.
The new arena will first hold the Nagoya summer sumo tournament next year and will be known as the IG Arena under a 10-year stadium-naming sponsorship deal with the London-based IG Group financial services company.
During the Asian Games, Japanese favourites judo and wrestling will be held at the arena, promising a golden harvest for the host country, as well as the closing stages of the basketball tournament.
The venue will have a seating capacity of 17,000, including 40 suites on the third floor, but this capacity will be reduced to 15,000 for the basketball games.
The tour also took in Port Messe Nagoya, which will accommodate the Main Media Centre comprising the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre. The MMC will be located in the 10,000 sq metre Exhibition Hall 3.
The MPC will have a work room of 400 desks for journalists and photographers, with 1,000 sq metres reserved for private offices of news organisations and National Olympic Committees. Two press conference rooms will be able to seat 230 and 94 media.
The first day of the two-day CC meeting ended with the welcome reception dinner hosted by the Governor of Aichi Prefecture, Mr. Hideaki Ohmura, a toast for the success of the Asian Games by OCA CC Chair Mr. Timothy Fok and a closing serenade by the Mayor of Nagoya City, Mr. Takashi Kawamura, who adapted the Elvis Presley classic with the line “I can’t help falling in love with – Asian people.”
The meeting will continue on Friday and will be followed by a two-year countdown event on Saturday, September 21.