Asian Games Schedule

An overview of the Asian Games' four-year hosting cycle, the schedules of past and upcoming editions, the confirmation process, and the latest developments for 2025–2026

Asian Games Schedule

Overview

The Asian Games are the largest comprehensive multi-sport event in Asia, organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and are in principle held every four years. The Summer Asian Games and the Winter Asian Games are operated separately, and the schedule of each edition is confirmed in stages: selection of the host city → confirmation of sports → release of the master schedule → detailed event programming → opening and closing ceremonies. The schedule is not merely an announcement of dates, but the product of complex coordination involving the host country's climate, infrastructure, broadcasting rights, and athlete delegation plans.

Main Content

Hosting Cycle and Operational Structure

Summer Asian Games: Beginning with the 1st edition in New Delhi, India in 1951, they are held every four years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Hangzhou Games were postponed by one year to 2023.
Winter Asian Games: Beginning with the 1st edition in Sapporo, Japan in 1986, they are held every four years. The Winter Games are often arranged so that they fall in even- or odd-numbered years alternately with the Summer Games.
Governing Body: The OCA, established in 1982, grants hosting rights, while the actual preparation is handled by the host country's organizing committee (OCAGOC). Through the Games charter and technical regulations, the OCA controls the number of sports and the principles of schedule programming.

Procedure for Confirming the Schedule

1. Selection of the Host City — Decided by a vote at the OCA General Assembly, typically confirmed 7–8 years before the Games. The host city then announces its infrastructure plans.

2. Confirmation of Sports — The host country proposes and obtains approval for additional sports (e.g., kabaddi, sepak takraw, wushu, esports) on top of the OCA's core sports.

3. Announcement of the Master Schedule — The venue-by-venue arrangement and the duration of the Games are made public 1–2 years before the event.

4. Detailed Schedule and Ticket Sales — Starting 6 months to 1 year before the Games, event times by sport and ticket sales schedules are released in stages.

5. Draws and Group Assignments — A few weeks before the Games, draws are held for each sport and the final order of competition is confirmed.

Key Schedules of Past Summer Games

2010 Guangzhou: November 12–27
2014 Incheon: September 19–October 4
2018 Jakarta–Palembang: August 18–September 2
2022 Hangzhou: September 23–October 8, 2023 (postponed)
2026 Aichi–Nagoya: Scheduled for September 19–October 4, 2026

Key Schedules of Past Winter Games

2017 Sapporo: February 19–26
2025 Harbin: February 7–14
2029 Trojena (Saudi Arabia): Scheduled to be held in 2029

Where to Check the Schedule

The official schedule is updated first on the OCA website and the official Games website, and each country's National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the international federations for each sport provide it along with athlete delegation schedules. Broadcast rights holders also re-announce event times through their own programming schedules, so it should be noted that the confirmed schedule and broadcast programming may differ.

Latest Developments

As of 2024–2025, the biggest change is that the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games were held in Harbin, China from February 7 to 14, 2025. The event was held at the scale of 6 sports, 11 disciplines, and 64 medal events, and was evaluated as an indicator of the expansion of the base of winter sports in Asia.

The next Summer Games, the 2026 Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games, are scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4, 2026 in Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, Japan. Esports, which made its official debut at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, is expected to be retained in 2026, and the "distributed hosting" approach of dispersing venues across multiple cities has emerged as a key variable in schedule programming. Accordingly, movement routes and accommodation assignments by sport are being treated as important from the schedule design stage.

In the medium to long term, the 2030 Doha Asian Games (Qatar) and the 2034 Riyadh Asian Games (Saudi Arabia) have been confirmed, continuing the trend of hosting in the Middle East, while the Winter Games are scheduled to be held in Trojena, Saudi Arabia in 2029. In addition, schedule adjustments due to climate change (an increasing number of autumn and winter hostings), optimization of competition time slots to suit broadcasting and streaming platforms, and the expansion of rest days between events to protect athletes have become clear recent trends in schedule programming.