Huraa, Maldives, September 19, 2025: The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games promotional campaign went green on Friday, September 19, with officials from the OCA, AINAGOC and the Maldives Olympic Committee taking part in a tree-planting ceremony in Huraa Island.
The Maldives was the 10th stopover in Asia to raise the profile for next year’s Asian Games. Along with the other three aspects of the OCA’s ‘Asian Games for All’ initiative – Fun Run, Asian Youth Reporter project and Children’s Art Competition – a tree-planting event was also held.
“The President of the Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, is implementing a Five Million Tree Planting Programme, which was launched on World Environment Day last year. The goal is to plant five million trees by the end of his five-year term, to enhance ecological balance, protect endangered native trees and combat climate change,” explained Thamooh Ahmed Saeed, MOC Secretary General.
The Maldives faces an existential threat from rising sea levels due to climate change as over 80 percent of its islands are less than a metre above sea level. It is projected that by 2050, all this land will become uninhabitable due to global warming.
So, taking time off from raising awareness for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, 2026, the visiting officials planted trees in Huraa Island, venue for the Fun Run on Friday evening.
“We planted fruit, shade, and medicinal tree saplings, all native to the Maldives. It was just a few trees, but every bit counts in this worthwhile fight to save the Maldives,” said Jeans Zhou Jian, OCA Director Media and Broadcasting.
Accompanying him was Wissam Trkmani, OCA Director NOC Relations and Development, and Fumihito Kazaizuka, Director of PR and Marketing, Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee.
