The host of the 2021 FINA World Aquatics Championships, Fukuoka, Japan, is now among the possible sites in the running to host the 2026 Asian Games, according to Kyodo News.
The Asian Games are held every 4 years, with Japan having played host on two separate occasions in the past. First in Tokyo in 1958, then Hiroshima in 1994. Jakarta is slated to host the event in 2018, with Hangzhou, China awarded the bidding for the 2022 edition of the competition.
If it proceeds with bid submission, Fukuoka in southwestern Japan would be the 2nd prefecture to express interest in hosting the 2026 Asian Games, as the Aichi Prefecture in central Japan confirmed its intent already in January of this year. Fukuoka Prefecture is currently working on a proposal draft to present to the Japanese Olympic Committee. (Kyodo News)
The host will be determined at the Olympic Council of Asia’s general meeting in 2018. “We have to decide (Japan’s candidate) at an early stage,” JOC executive director Eisuke Hiraoka said.
Fukuoka has had its share of experience hosting international events, including the Summer Universiade in 1995 and the 1997 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, in addition to most recently being named as the site of the 2021 FINA World Aquatics Championships
