Nagoya, Japan: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC) have hailed the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 as one of the most successful editions in the event's history.Speaking at a wrap-up press conference on the day of the closing ceremony, Tayyab Ikram, Chair of the OCA Coordination Committee for the Games, described the event as a "great experience" and a "wonderful experience".He said the OCA and AINAGOC had been committed to providing the best sporting environment for athletes and added: "Our objective was clearly attained."Ikram noted that the Games featured nearly 11,000 athletes, a figure exceeding that of the Olympic Games, and highlighted the use of a cruise ship and temporary cabins at Nagoya Port as athletes' accommodation, describing it as a potentially sustainable and economical model for future events.Husain Al Musallam, Director General of the OCA, said the efforts of all stakeholders had delivered "one of the best performances in the history of the Asian Games."He highlighted the sporting achievements recorded during the Games:54 world records89 Asian records212 Games records11 junior world recordsAl Musallam said these achievements were supported by quality accommodation, transport, healthcare, food and nutrition services provided to athletes.He also stressed the role of the Asian Games in bringing countries together."Asia is united in sport, in peace and in solidarity. This is our aim," he said.Al Musallam added that AINAGOC had done a "fantastic" job in delivering the Games and revealed that revenue from marketing, sponsorship and television rights increased by 19 per cent compared with the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.According to the OCA, 40 of the 45 National Olympic Committees won at least one medal during the Games.The event involved around 60,000 people daily, including 17,000 athletes, coaches and team officials, 7,000 media representatives, 5,000 technical officials, and 30,000 volunteers.The UAE produced one of its strongest performances at the Games through its national jiu-jitsu team, which topped Asia with five gold medals, the highest tally in the country's history at the event.The achievement surpassed the UAE's previous best results of two gold medals at Jakarta 2018 and four gold medals at Hangzhou 2023.Among the standout performers was Ahmed Khalifa Andez, who became one of the youngest gold medallists at the Games at the age of 18 years and one month.In athletics, Mariam Karim recorded a personal best in the 400m hurdles, reflecting continued technical progress for UAE athletics.
