The Asian Paralympic Committee (AsPC), together with the organising committee formally signed the Host City Contract for the 2026 Asian Para Games on Tuesday, which will take place in city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture.
The Games will feature 18 sports with an expected participation number of between 3,600 and 4,000 athletes and officials, from 45 nations and will take place from October 18-24, 2026.
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games will be the fifth edition of the Asian Para Games with expected to be shared with the Asian Games which will take place ahead of the Asian Para Games.
The signing ceremony, which was held virtually on Tuesday, was attended by President Majid Rashed and CEO Tarek Souei representing Asian Paralympic Committee, while Hideaki Ohmura, Governor of Aichi Prefecture; Takashi Kawamura, Mayor, City of Nagoya Kazuyuki Mori, President of Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA); Satoshi Murate, Secretary General of Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and Asian Para Games Organizing Committee (AINAGOC) were present from the organisers’ side.
Masayuki Mizuno, Vice President of AsPC attended the ceremony as a witness.
Speaking at the ceremony, Rashed congratulated the organisers of Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on official confirmation of Aichi prefecture and city of Nagoya as the hosts.
“This is an important milestone for the Asian Paralympic family as we sign the host city contract for the next Games just few days ahead of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games. This shows the commitment and dedication of our future Games organisers to provide one of the best platforms to our Para-athletes,” the AsPC President said.
“While we are thrilled to attend the fast-approaching Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games, we can already witness the excitement of the organisers to host the 2026 Games. The 2026 Games will be also the biggest after the Tokyo 2020 Games in the country, and we are confident that the organisers are going to deliver a spectacular Games in three years’ time.”
Rashed also sent best wishes to the athletes of Japan ahead of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games which begins on October 22, 2023.
‘Leaving a Legacy’
On behalf of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 organising committee, His Excellency Ohmura said: “A year and half have passed since our announcement of hosting the 2026 Asian Para Games in March 2022, and during that time the environment surrounding the Games has changed due to the impact of Covid-19 Pandemic.
Despite the difficult circumstances we were able to finish the Host City Agreement with AsPC following a lot of discussions and negotiations. Our sincere gratitude to APC President and CEO, JPSA and JPC for their kind co-operation.”
“Since hosting the Asian Para Games is an important social significance in contributing the realisation of an inclusive society, it’s very important for us to prepare well and host a successful Games to leave a legacy. Today signing the Host City Contract is a major milestone and we will continue to do our best to ensure a successful Games,” added His Excellency Ohmura.
Meanwhile, His Excellency Takashi Kawamura, Mayor, City of Nagoya Kazuyuki Mori, added that in three years’ time, the city of Nagoya will be Games ready to be able to leave a legacy and, “make us proud as we show the world in terms of facility and infrastructure”.
“We will continue to put our best efforts to host a great Games.”
The organisers of Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games will be handed over the flag of the Asian Paralympic Committee as the next host of the Games at the closing ceremony of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games on October 28, 2023.
