According to the recently released official press statement, cricket will be among the other sporting events that will unfold at the Asian Games next year as confirmed by the Olympic Council of Asia. MMA will also be one of the games to be featured in this exciting mix of sports. The Asian Games will occur in Japan next September and October, with much anticipation.
This was announced during a meeting of the AINAGOC Board of Directors, which took place at Nagoya City Hall. That’s where they officially approved both cricket and MMA for the upcoming event. Cricket matches however are set to take place in Aichi prefecture, but the exact venue is yet to be determined.
There should be much buzz about cricket because it has a huge following, especially in South Asia. And even more excitingly, the format will be T20 and included in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, its first Olympic appearance since the last time it was played in 1900 in Paris when Great Britain beat France in a two-team tournament.
Cricket has been a part of the Asian Games since 2010, becoming a medal sport that same year. Golden hold for the men went to Bangladesh, silver to Afghanistan, and bronze to Pakistan. In the gold rush of 2014 in Incheon, Sri Lanka topped the medal chart with the gold, Afghanistan taking silver and Bangladesh winning the bronze. In women’s cricket, Pakistan won the gold across both games.
India pulled out all the stops in 2022 to win the gold medal in men’s cricket, with brilliant contributions from players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal lighting the tournament. Afghanistan, yet again, lay second and went home with the sliver, while Bangladesh had to be satisfied with finishing third. In women’s cricket India maintained the winning streak, capturing gold while Sri Lanka took the silver and Bangladesh the bronze.
What a terrific event! Indeed, cricket itself is bound to pull a lot of attention. A true amalgamation of conventional and modern sports, this Asian Games will be one to remember!
