A senior official confirmed Thursday that the organizers of the Asian Games in Doha are “prepared” if the continent’s most prominent sporting event is postponed by one year to 2031, as part of a major amendment to the calendar.
The Games currently being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, are usually held every four years, and in even years.
Doha will be the next host city for the Games in 2030, according to the current system followed.
However, reports indicated in April that the Executive Board of the Olympic Council of Asia had agreed to the idea of reformulating the calendar, so that the upcoming sessions constitute a station for qualifying for and preparing for the Olympic Games.
This means holding the Doha Games in 2031, months before the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
The CEO of the Doha 2030 Asian Games Organizing Committee, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Buainain, told Agence France-Presse in Nagoya: “We are working closely with the Olympic Council of Asia. “For us, the date is 2030.”
He added: “But if the need arises to change the date, whether by moving it forward one year or postponing it by a year for a specific reason, we as a local organizing committee must ensure that we are ready, that the facilities are ready, and that all operational plans are proceeding according to schedule.”
He explained that any change would be “between the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Olympic Committee.”
Al-Buainain continued: “Yes, the local organizing committee must be involved as a representative of the host country. But again, the decision is not unilateral. We will have to work closely in the coming days to ensure everyone is satisfied with the date, duration and when will the course take place? And where?
The Aichi-Nagoya tournament faced accusations of organizational failures, especially with regard to the accommodation of athletes and transportation.
As for Qatar, which over the past twenty years has hosted an increasing number of major sporting events, all the way to the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, it has all the necessary facilities. Doha also hosted the Asian Games in 2006.
Al-Buainain said: “Qatar is ready.” “When it comes to Qatar, Qatar is ready.”
The large increase in the number of participants was one of the most prominent challenges faced by the Japanese organizers, as more than 17,000 athletes and officials arrived, a larger number of participants in the Olympic Games...
Some teams said the number of beds was not enough.
Al-Buainain believed that “it is too early to discuss numbers,” noting that “there is no limit yet.” Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee, expressed her support for the proposal during her visit to the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Coventry told Xinhua News Agency: “I know that the continental federations are pushing to hold their sports tournaments a year before the Olympic Games, so that they can be used as qualifiers for the Olympics, and I think that would be a great way to promote the Olympic movement.” She added: “We look forward to this step from the Olympic Council of Asia and the Asian Games.”
Al-Buainain explained that Doha is planning to organize a “combined” version of the Games based on a group of existing sports facilities, benefiting from the legacy left by the major events that Qatar has hosted in recent years, most notably the 2022 World Cup. This comes at a time when the organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Games faced challenges related to hosting about 17,000 athletes and officials, in addition to providing an effective and smooth transportation system for this large number of participants.
Al-Buainain stressed that Doha does not intend to exclude any sport from the tournament programme, but stressed the importance of reaching a formula that achieves balance between the various parties concerned. He said: “We do not seek to exclude any sport, or any athlete, but rather to ensure that all decisions are in the interest of the Olympic Council of Asia, the National Olympic Committees, and the sports federations participating in this project.”
