Asian Games Move to Odd Years to Serve as Olympic Qualifier, Starting 2031
OCA approves schedule shift giving athletes clearer pathway to Olympics; five-year gap between 2026 Japan and 2031 Qatar editions
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- The Olympic Council of Asia has approved moving the Asian Games to odd-numbered years, starting with the 2031 edition in Doha, to serve as a qualifying event for the Olympics.
- The change was approved by the OCA executive board last weekend, allowing elite athletes more competition opportunities and raising the Games' overall standard.
- While this creates a five-year gap between the 2026 Japan Games and 2031 Qatar Games, sports officials say the long-term benefits outweigh the scheduling concern.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
The Asian Games is the largest multi-sport event in Asia, held every four years. The current schedule places it in the year before the Summer Olympics, but athletes must qualify through separate international federation processes. The OCA has been discussing this change for several years.
Moving the Asian Games to odd-numbered years will give athletes a "clear path" to Olympic qualification, a Hong Kong sports chief said on Wednesday. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has approved moving the regional quadrennial multi-sport event to the year before its global cousin, starting with the 2031 edition in Doha. Approved by the council's executive board last weekend, the governing body's vice-president Song Luzeng said it would allow the 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". Qualification is currently managed by international federations and Song said the OCA was in the final stage of discussions with some of them on the new plan. Switching years would mean a rare five-year gap between the Games in Japan this September, and the following event in Qatar, but Kenneth Fok, vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), said that was of little concern. "The real long-term significance is the shift to odd-year scheduling and the intention to use the Asian Games as an Olympic qualifying event," he said.
Worauf zu achten ist
KI-Ausblick — Möglichkeiten, keine Fakten
International federations will finalize qualification agreements with OCA by end of 2026
Wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Monaten
2030 Riyadh Asian Games will proceed as planned despite schedule change
Sehr wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Jahren
Offene Fragen
- Which specific international federations are in final discussions with OCA?
- How will the qualification criteria work for different sports?
- Will there be any changes to the sports program for the 2031 Games?
