A row has broken out ahead of the 2026 Asian Games and this time it’s not about the competition — it is about the arrangements. The Japan Cricket Association has hit back at complaints from some of Asia’s biggest cricketing nations regarding the facilities being set up for the Games, scheduled to run from September 19 to October 4.
The controversy began last week when concerns were raised about the venue and overall setup for cricket at the Games. All matches are set to be played at the Nisshin Cricket Ground inside Korogi Sports Park, a facility that used to be a baseball ground before being converted and finished this past March. With a capacity of around 2,000, the venue has only previously hosted matches during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier and hasn’t seen much use beyond that.
Reports suggested that India and Pakistan had objected to the relatively fresh, newly-laid pitch as well as the absence of proper dressing rooms. Following talks involving the cricket boards of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, it was expected that the Asian Cricket Council would send officials to Japan to personally inspect the ground and facilities.
Responding to the criticism, Japan Cricket Association CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji defended the preparations, explaining that the Games’ organizing committee, working alongside the Asian Cricket Council under the Olympic Council of Asia, had done everything possible to get the country ready for a sport that isn’t widely followed among locals. He also credited Sri Lanka Cricket for stepping in and providing curators to help prepare the pitches.
Miyaji pointed out that the organizing committee had only 17 months to put everything together, essentially starting from zero since there were no cricket venues of any real standard anywhere in Aichi Prefecture. Given how limited the time and resources were, he said the organizing committee and the Asian Cricket Council had worked closely together to make sure the playing conditions would be up to the mark.
He further explained that the venue will be a full-sized ground featuring both turf and hybrid pitches, prepared by some of the best curators available, again giving credit to Sri Lanka Cricket for their contribution. While acknowledging that there’s only so much that can be achieved within such tight constraints, he said that based on what he had personally seen, the playing surface and field would end up being the best cricket has had since being introduced to the Asian Games.
Accommodation turned into another point of contention, with athletes from cricket, football and softball all set to stay in hotels in Nagoya, roughly 20 kilometers away from the ground. Some had worried that the rooms might be too cramped for two athletes sharing space, especially once you factor in cricket gear and luggage.
Miyaji, however, pushed back on this too, noting that athletes in several other sports had been given far more basic accommodation options, including staying on a cruise ship or in container-style hotels. He added that cricket teams are completely free to organize their own accommodation instead, if they’d prefer to do so.
He also dismissed rumours circulating about washrooms being located far away from the playing area, stating that this simply wasn’t true.
Let’s see how the cricket boards from other countries will react.
